After being left for lifeless earlier within the season, the Baltimore Orioles are instantly enjoying their finest ball. The workforce entered play Monday on a sizzling streak, successful seven of their final 9 video games, together with three straight. Whereas the workforce had a good shot to increase that streak Monday towards the Colorado Rockies, nobody anticipated the competition to turn out to be one in every of Baltimore’s signature wins this season.
However that’s precisely the way it could be remembered if the Orioles make a Cinderella run to the postseason, all because of outfielder Colton Cowser.
With the d within the ninth inning — because of a late RBI by Cowser — Rockies outfielders Troy Johnston hit a one-out double off O’s nearer Andrew Kittredge.
Kittredge managed to safe a second out, bringing the Rockies’ most-feared hitter, Jake McCarthy to the plate. On the second pitch of the at-bat, McCarthy drove a ball deep to heart discipline. As Cowser retreated towards the wall, it regarded as if McCarthy had simply given his workforce a walk-off win.
The play did finish in a walk-off … however not in the way in which many anticipated.
Cowser tracked the ball all the way in which to the wall, jumped, twisting his physique to face dwelling plate, shot each his legs to the facet, mimicking a mid-air model of the splits and securing the ball in his glove simply earlier than it sailed over the center-field wall.
He celebrated with an emphatic yell.
gD
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) 6
With the win, the Orioles reached .500 for the primary time since April. The victory additionally pushed the workforce to 8-2 over its final 10 video games, and moved it to only .5 video games out of a wild-card spot within the American League.
After performing beneath expectations all season, the workforce’s hitting has discovered its stride. Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, Coby Mayo and Cowser all have turned in wRC+ figures of 133 or above throughout August, which means they’ve carried out 33 p.c higher than the typical MLB hitter over that interval. These 4 have performed a big position within the workforce’s current sizzling streak. Monday’s game-winning catch by Cowser was extra proof of that.
With the Orioles now extraordinarily near a playoff spot, the workforce is lastly beginning to dwell as much as its lofty preseason expectations. Securing their spot within the postseason gained’t be simple, because the American League is a jumbled mess, however a sizzling September would go a good distance towards the Orioles successful again some jilted followers following an underwhelming first half.