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MINNEAPOLIS - It had to be troubling, concerning and maybe a bit scary at times as O’s first baseman Ryan Mountcastle dealt with the impact of vertigo and has not played in the majors since June 8. But he returned to the Orioles active roster today.
While he is not in the lineup, he’s ready to go, feels his swing is in fine shape and is excited to hopefully have this all over with. He said he didn’t have vertigo before this year but believes they got it under control so he can return today to the team.
“This feels like the longest I’ve ever gone without playing (in the majors),” said Mountcastle whose 20-day minor league rehab assignment had one day yet to go. “It wasn’t fun at all. Just happy to be back and feel like a normal human again.
“It was my first time. It hit me in waves. Took longer than I thought, but just happy to be back. Probably like a week or so ago, I felt good. They just wanted to take their time. Came up today and hopefully, I can come off the bench and get an at-bat or two. Feel good, ready to go.”
Mountcastle said this first became something significant for him when the Orioles played in Milwaukee June 6-8.
The Orioles announced a roster move this morning, reinstating first baseman Ryan Mountcastle from the injured list and optioning left-hander Bruce Zimmermann to Triple-A Norfolk.
Mountcastle was set to complete his 20-day rehab assignment with Norfolk after going on the IL with vertigo. He hasn’t played for the Orioles since June 8 in Milwaukee and was in a 4-for-30 slump.
Mountcastle told the media in Minnesota that he hadn’t felt the effects of vertigo in the past. He isn’t in the lineup.
Today’s transaction leaves the Orioles with 12 pitchers and 14 position players. Manager Brandon Hyde used only two relievers yesterday, Bryan Baker and Danny Coulombe, behind starter Tyler Wells in a 6-2 win.
The Orioles play their final game of the season’s first half this afternoon. They’re two behind the first-place Rays in the division, and both teams have 35 losses.
The first two rounds of the draft air tonight beginning at 7 p.m. on ESPN and MLB Network. Pick your prospect poison.
The Orioles have the 17th, 53rd and 63rd selections tonight, the latter in Competitive Balance Round B. This is the latest that they’ve gone since taking Georgia high school left-hander DL Hall 21st in 2017.
Hall remains in Sarasota on a program to build strength and velocity before reentering Triple-A Norfolk’s rotation. That’s the last we’ve heard about him.
I saw that the Tides placed outfielder Heston Kjerstad on the temporary inactive list yesterday, had a brief panic attack and remembered that he played in last night’s All-Star Futures Game in Seattle.
Kjerstad started in right field and went 1-for-2. Jackson Holliday came off the bench, because being the No. 1 prospect in baseball doesn't guarantee you a spot in the lineup, and struck out in his only at-bat.
MINNEAPOLIS – It was unexpected but very welcome. The Orioles got a big inning early in the game against the club with the best team ERA in Major League Baseball. A club they had scored six runs off in four games over the last two weekends.
But their 6-2 victory today over the American League Central-leading Twins was keyed by a huge six-run six-hit top of the second inning. They batted 10 players and five different Orioles drove in runs.
The uprising came against right-hander Sonny Gray, a pitcher who threw six scoreless on two hits against Baltimore batters last Sunday at Oriole Park. A pitcher who entered with a 2.50 ERA that ranked second-best in the AL and third in the majors. A pitcher who had given up three runs or less in 17 of 17 starts this year.
So the big inning was indeed unexpected.
But it lift the Orioles' record to 53-35 and they have won four in a row after losing six of seven. They have the best AL road record, which is now 27-17 and have a winning road trip at 4-2 with one game to go.
MINNEAPOLIS - Colton Cowser has been with the Orioles for four days now and today the rookie will make his fourth start, batting seventh in right field. He has made a strong early impression on manager Brandon Hyde.
"I think he's been amazing," Hyde said pregame today. "Love his at-bats. Looks like he's been doing that for a while up here. Even that at-bat against (Jhoan) Duran last night, you know the call at first base. Just, he hadn't seen 103 mph sinkers before. Spit on some stuff down. Just relaxed throughout that big spot. Been really, really impressed with the way he's handled himself in the dugout. Defense has been really, really solid. I like his energy and he's fun to be around."
Cowser is 2-for-10 to start his big league career with three walks and no strikeouts.
Hyde said the team is discussing now how to set up its rotation out of the All-Star break, but added "we are not going to announce anything any time soon."
Ryan Mountcastle is batting .222 with an OPS of .572 on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk. The assignment will end during the All-Star break. Is there a chance the O's add Mountcastle to start the second half?
All-Star Austin Hays has returned to the Orioles lineup this afternoon for the first time since bruising his left hip Sunday against the Twins.
Hays is in left field and batting fifth.
Colton Cowser is in right field today, and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.
Aaron Hicks returns to the lineup in center field after pinch-hitting last night in the 10th inning and delivering a sacrifice fly in a 3-1 win. Cedric Mullins is on the bench.
Jordan Westburg also is out of the lineup, with Adam Frazier playing second base and Ramón Urías moving to third. Westburg’s .314 average is the highest for any Orioles infielder through 10 career games, according to STATS.
The mathematical first half of the season is behind us. The Orioles played their 87th game last night in Minnesota, leaving two on the table before the All-Star break.
That’s the actual splitting of the halves.
The draft will run from Sunday-Tuesday. Four Orioles will be in Seattle for the All-Star Game, and prospects Jackson Holliday and Heston Kjerstad are on the Futures Game roster.
Adley Rutschman will attempt Monday night to join Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada as Home Run Derby winners.
And then, it’s back to business. Three games at home against the Marlins and three against the Dodgers, followed by trips to St. Petersburg, Fla., and Philadelphia.
MINNEAPOLIS – Cole Irvin was not “swirvin” this time. Irvin, who uses that nickname in his Twitter handle, was very much in balance and control tonight and he was setting down the Minnesota Twins with regularity.
His season ERA was 6.32 at game time, but his ERA since his latest return to the Orioles roster June 10 was 3.44 in five games. He gave up two runs in eight innings his last two starts, one rain interrupted. He had shown signs he was getting his act together.
Tonight, in front of 32,724 fans at Target Field in the opener of this three-game series, we saw more evidence.
Irvin left with a lead but could not get a win tonight.
But the Orioles did.
MINNEAPOLIS – Orioles outfielder Austin Hays is now going to start in the All-Star game for the American League next week in Seattle. Now Baltimore needs to get him back in their starting lineup and that should happen at Minnesota on Saturday afternoon.
Hays and Adolis Garcia of Texas were named starters today and will join Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena in the AL starting outfield due to injuries to Aaron Judge and Mike Trout.
“Hyder (manager Brandon Hyde) called me this morning to let me know,” Hays said this afternoon before the Orioles-Twins series opener at Target Field. “Lot of excitement. Just really excited to wear this team’s name on my chest out there and start the All-Star game.”
Hays already has gotten advice from teammate Cedric Mullins, who was a starter in the 2021 game due to an injury then also to Trout.
"He said there is a lot going on, just try to live in the moment. Lot of moving parts. It moves really fast and there is a lot of stuff scheduled. Just try to enjoy every second and go with the flow like everything will happen will really quickly. Try to enjoy each moment as much as you can,” said Hays.
MINNEAPOLIS – After a remarkable night in New York - and a 14-1 blowout win over the Yankees - the Orioles' suddenly resurgent offense is in for a real test this weekend. The O's open a series against the Minnesota Twins, a new hot team that leads MLB in team ERA.
The Orioles went 15-for-26 at-bat last night in the first four innings and led 13-0 in the Bronx. By that point of the game, Gunnar Henderson and Ryan O'Hearn had already combined for nine RBIs. Henderson was 4-for-4 with two homers, three runs and five RBIs.
There have been three rookies to record 4+ hits and 5+ RBIs in a road game against the Yankees since RBIs became an official stat in 1920 – Don Wheeler in 1949, Maikel Franco in 2015 and yesterday.
The Orioles set season highs in runs and hits. The previous tops was 13 runs and 17 hits and they had 20 last night.
Heading into Wednesday's game at Yankee Stadium, the Orioles had lost six of seven games. But now they have back-to-back wins by 6-3 and 14-1.
Austin Hays vowed to play again before the All-Star break, a bruised left hip keeping him out of the lineup since Sunday.
The day he learned that he’d been selected to his first All-Star team.
Hays is on the bench again tonight, marked absent hours after he found out that he’s starting for the American League.
Baseball life is full of surprises for Hays, who said yesterday that the good news about his selection was “kind of short-lived” following his collision with Twins first baseman Donovan Solano. A knee to the hip bringing pain after his euphoria. The roller coaster that he didn’t want to ride.
He’s taking batting practice and working out, as he did yesterday in New York, and starting Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park due to injuries to Aaron Judge and Mike Trout.
NEW YORK – The crowd at Yankee Stadium had lost its last ounce of patience long before the 12th batter stepped to the plate in the top of the third inning. Angry at Luis Severino. Outraged by the sloppy play. Reduced to cheering a ground ball, sarcasm the only weapon of retaliation.
The Orioles threw an offensive party tonight in someone else’s house. Gunnar Henderson played host.
Henderson collected four hits in four innings, including a pair of home runs. Ryan O’Hearn had a double and two-run single in the third. Twenty of the first 30 batters reached base.
Manager Brandon Hyde wanted a breather. He got a laugher.
Staggering after two games of the series, the Orioles came out swinging tonight and coasted to a 14-1 victory. They pounded out 20 hits. Kyle Bradish was working on a one-hit shutout through the fifth and no one seemed to notice.
Inheriting a massive rebuild project and laying out plans to navigate it and eventually come out a contender, with clear indicators of a tedious pace and an inability to doctor it and improve the appearance, left Mike Elias with top-five draft picks in his first four seasons as executive vice president and general manager.
Catcher Adley Rutschman and shortstop Jackson Holliday were selected first overall in 2019 and 2022 respectively. Outfielder Heston Kjerstad was the second overall pick in 2020. Outfielder Colton Cowser, promoted to the majors on Wednesday, was the fifth selection in 2021.
Finishing above .500 last summer, an industry shocker, left the Orioles 17th in Sunday’s first round. The price paid for improvement.
No one is complaining. Falling back is progress.
“It’s very different,” Elias said on yesterday’s video call with the local media. “When you’re picking as low as we are, 17, there’s just so much uncertainty about who’s going to be there.”
NEW YORK – Austin Hays is participating in full baseball activities today and is confident that he’ll return to the Orioles’ lineup this weekend in Minnesota.
Hays hasn’t played since bruising his left hip Sunday against the Twins at Camden Yards.
“I’m feeling a lot better today,” he said. “I’m going to go out there for BP and try to go through some throwing from the outfield, take some swings, and see where we’re at. But as far as just moving around and doing day to day stuff, it feels a lot better. A lot of that bad soreness that I had has pushed out of there.”
The day began with Hays learning about his All-Star selection and progressed to a collision with Twins first baseman Donovan Solano in the second inning, leading to removal before the top of the fourth.
Third baseman José Miranda’s throw led Solano into the basepath and Hays turned at the last instant to lessen the impact. He probably made it worse, but his instincts took over.
NEW YORK – The latest prospect-packed Orioles lineup tonight includes Colton Cowser in left field again, with Gunnar Henderson leading off and playing shortstop, and Jordan Westburg at second base.
Manager Brandon Hyde put Ramón Urías at third base and Aaron Hicks in center field.
Cedric Mullins is the designated hitter.
Austin Hays stays on the bench.
Kyle Bradish has registered a 3.58 ERA and 1.205 WHIP in 15 starts. He’s held opponents to six runs in his last four starts covering 25 innings.
The short-attention reaction to news of Colton Cowser’s promotion was, “What now?”
The moment is appreciated and then outdated.
Cowser is going to be in the lineup on most nights, the same way it’s working out with infielder Jordan Westburg. Manager Brandon Hyde will call upon the flexibility on his roster. He has no other choice.
Players will sit or rotate into the designated hitter spot. No one is going to get buried on the bench.
Cowser started in left field last night, an easier decision with Austin Hays recovering from a bruised left hip. Hays’ return creates another lineup complication, but nothing that Hyde can’t handle. He’s braced for it.
NEW YORK – The towering fly ball to Colton Cowser tonight in the first inning drew a roar from the Yankee Stadium crowd but didn’t get close to the warning track in left field. Cowser camped under it and waited, a 44-degree launch angle providing time for fans to realize their mistake.
Next came the first at-bat, with one out in the second inning. Cowser fell behind 1-2, twice taking changeups for strikes, and lined a curveball 107.7 mph to shortstop Anthony Volpe.
Cowser was checking boxes in his major league debut. Getting the firsts out of the way. Happy for the chance to play and maybe step back from the spotlight in the coming days.
One swing took care of two more.
Cowser lined an RBI single into right field in the sixth inning after the Orioles put runners on the corners with one out against left-handed reliever Nick Ramirez, and he crossed the plate for the first time on Jordan Westburg’s two-run triple.
NEW YORK – Colton Cowser’s name was scratched from Triple-A Norfolk’s lineup last night in Durham about an hour before first pitch, unleashing a wave of rumors and jokes.
Was he joining the Orioles in New York?
Was he just slacking?
Teammates had some fun with it.
“They were giving me a hard time a little bit, saying I just wanted another day off,” Cowser said. “But I wasn’t really thinking about it too much.”
NEW YORK – Colton Cowser is making his major league debut tonight in left field and batting seventh.
Austin Hays remains on the Orioles bench while recovering from a bruised left hip. He hit in the cage yesterday and is nearing a return.
Gunnar Henderson is leading off and playing shortstop. Jordan Westburg is the third baseman.
Ryan O’Hearn is in the cleanup spot again. Cedric Mullins is batting fifth, and Aaron Hicks follows as the designated hitter.
Hicks, who homered yesterday, posted a .188 average and .524 OPS in 28 games with the Yankees. He has a .264 average and .873 OPS in 28 games with the Orioles.
NEW YORK – Colton Cowser is on the Orioles’ active roster and expected to be in their lineup for tonight’s game against the Yankees.
The first part is official.
The club announced that it selected Cowser’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk. They also selected reliever Eduard Bazardo’s contract and optioned outfielder Ryan McKenna to the Tides after yesterday’s game.
Catcher Anthony Bemboom and pitcher Chris Vallimont were designated for assignment to clear space on a full 40-man roster.
Cowser, the No. 14 prospect in baseball in MLB Pipeline rankings, is batting .330/.459/.537 with 10 doubles, a triple, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs and 48 walks in 56 games. The fifth-overall selection in the 2021 draft out of Sam Houston State has accumulated 381 plate appearances at Triple-A over two seasons and slashed .292/.420/.500 in 83 games.
