Colton Cowser is out of the Orioles lineup tonight for the fourth game in a row, with Leody Taveras getting another start in center field and Dylan Beavers in right.

“To me, it’s nothing about Cowser. It’s how Leody’s been playing and also how Beavers has been playing, as well,” said manager Craig Albernaz.

“I think Cowser is trending the right way, like we talked about, where the at-bats have been better, the impact quality has been better. Swing decisions are trending, too. So to me, it says more about Leody and Beavers than Cowser. I think Cowser is still potential to be dangerous in the box. He is dangerous in the box. But right now, it’s Leody and Beavers playing tonight.”

Samuel Basallo is the designated hitter tonight to begin a three-games series against the Astros. Coby Mayo is the third baseman and Jeremiah Jackson stays at second base.

Taylor Ward has drawn at least one walk in six consecutive games, the longest streak of his career. Ward ranks fourth in the majors with a .424 on-base percentage. Eddie Murry is the last Oriole to finish in the top five in OBP, placing second at .410 in 1984, per STATS.

Ward and Frank Robinson are the only players to have at least 30 hits and 20 walks through 30 career games with the Orioles. Ward has played 28.

The Orioles have drawn 109 walks. The club record before May is 115 in 1969.

The Orioles are hitting .263 at Camden Yards and .209 on the road.

Shane Baz makes his fifth start. He’s posted a 5.08 ERA and 1.553 WHIP over 28 1/3 innings.

Baz hasn’t recorded a quality start but he’s gone six and 6 1/3 innings in his last two outings, with four runs scoring.

On the positive side, Baz has surrendered only two home runs.

In three career starts against the Astros, Baz has allowed eight runs and 20 hits over 18 innings. Jose Altuve is 1-for-10 with a homer. Yainer Diaz is 4-for-8 with a homer.

Reliever Rico Garcia hasn’t allowed a hit in his six appearances at Camden Yards this season. If he makes it seven, he’ll be the third Orioles pitcher to start a season with a streak of that length after Bryan Baker (nine in 2023) and Shawn Armstrong (eight in 2019), per STATS.

Jackson Holliday remains in Baltimore and was working out at second base this afternoon.

Right-hander Kai-Wei Teng has made 11 relief appearances in his first season with the Astros and allowed four runs and nine hits with six walks and 16 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. Tonight marks his eighth career start in 24 major league games, the first seven with the Giants in 2025.

Teng hasn’t gone more than 2 2/3 innings this season, so the Astros will be dipping early into their bullpen. He worked one-third of an inning Saturday, throwing nine pitches.

The Orioles haven’t faced Teng. He’s the third Taiwan-born pitcher to start against them after Chien-Ming Wang and Wei-Yin Chen.

The Astros have the worst record in the American League at 11-18, including 3-10 on the road. Their .783 OPS is first in the AL and third in the majors. Their 254 hits are first in the AL and fourth in the majors, and their 151 runs scored are first in the AL and fifth in the majors.

Yordan Álvarez is leading the majors in average (.358), on-base percentage (.465) and slugging percentage (.755).

The issue is on the pitching side.

Houston’s 5.97 ERA and 1.65 WHIP rank last in the majors. Opponents are batting .267, highest in the AL and second-highest in the majors. The 158 walks are the most in baseball, and the 43 home runs surrendered are most in the AL and second-most in the majors.

The Astros are 5-15 in their last 20 games dating back to April 5, worst in the AL and third worst in the majors. They’re 2-14 this season when scoring five runs or fewer, worst in the majors.

The Orioles have gone 78-53 against the AL West since the beginning of 2022.

For the Orioles
Gunnar Henderson SS
Taylor Ward LF
Adley Rutschman C
Pete Alonso 1B
Samuel Basallo DH
Leody Taveras CF
Dylan Beavers RF
Coby Mayo 3B
Jeremiah Jackson 2B

Shane Baz RHP

For the Astros
Carlos Correa SS
Yordan Álvarez DH
Isaac Paredes 3B
Jose Altuve 2B
Christian Walker 1B
Yainer Diaz C
Dustin Harris LF
Cam Smith RF
Brice Matthews CF

Kai-Wei Teng RHP