It was yet another solid week for the Baltimore Orioles as they began by far their toughest stretch of the season with back-to-back series against AL East rivals, the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles went 4-2 on the week, dropping a game to each division foe. Although the O’s will be upset with not sweeping the Rays on Sunday afternoon, they have to be content with winning both of these series as they go into yet another week of series against AL East foes, as they will take on the Blue Jays and Rays again for 4-games apiece.
If the Orioles are going to grind out this tough stretch in the month of June, consisting of just one single day off, they are going to need stellar play on both sides of the ball. We saw that this week as a number of players got going offensively, while the pitching staff held opponents to 3 or fewer runs in half of the games played this week. Let’s take a look at this week’s who’s hot and who’s not:
Batting
Who’s Hot: Kyle Stowers
It was quality over quantity for Kyle Stowers this week. Most Orioles fans have to be hoping the quantity starts to tick up in terms of playing time and opportunities for this young outfielder. Stowers appeared in just 3 games this week for the O’s, but batter .500 and drove in 5 RBI in those 3 games. He was able to 3 doubles on his way to 8 total bases in those 3 games. We also saw him play some stellar defense in the outfield to go on top of the strong batting performance.
With the left-handed outfielders Cedric Mullins and Colton Cowser continuing to struggle, Stowers may have earned himself some more playing time after his performance this week. He came through with some huge hits this week and showed the consistency on both sides of the ball is there. At this point, there is no reason that manager Brandon Hyde should not be giving Stowers more opportunities.
Weekly Stats: .500 Avg / 0 HR / 5 RBI / 0 BB / 3 K / 3 2B / 0 3B / 8 Total Bases / 0 SB
Who’s Not: Colton Cowser
As mentioned previously, Colton Cowser continues to struggle mightily for the Orioles. The young outfielder has not been able to find the magic he had earlier in the season as he continues to rack up the strike-outs and fail to make great contact on off-speed pitches. He finished the week with just a .150 average in 20 plate appearances. He walked once and drove in one run, but only collected 3 total bases while striking out 4 times.
Cowser has found himself as the everyday starter in left field due to his hot start to the season, and Austin Hays’ struggles. However, with the way Kyle Stowers has been playing since being called up, it would be tough to not use him more in Cowser’s place if the struggles continue. The only thing helping Cowser out is the fact that he can also play center field well, which is where an ice-cold Cedric Mullins is currently playing. Fans should not be surprised to see a 3-man rotation between Stowers, Mullins, and Cowser between left field and center field going forward.
Weekly Stats: .150 Avg / 0 HR / 1 RBI / 1 BB / 4 K / 0 2B / 0 3B / 3 Total Bases / 0 SB
Pitching
Who’s Hot: Jacob Webb
With the brutal stretch of games coming up for the Orioles, consisting of only 1-day off in June, they are going to need to rely on their bullpen to give them valuable innings at times. That is exactly what reliever Jacob Webb did this week. Webb pitched 4.2 shutout innings this week, including two outings of at least 2 innings. He only allowed 1 hit and 1 walk in his 4.2 innings, while striking out 3. He went 1-0 on the week as he helped clean up the mess that Kyle Bradish made on Saturday, and he also got a hold on Friday night.
Jacob Webb has been a solid, trustworthy reliever all season, and this week was no exception. He is surely a huge part of this bullpen and will play a big role, not only this month but down the stretch of the season. He has proven that he can eat up some innings and work out of jams. He has had success in many different situations so far this season and will definitely be thrown into some high-leverage situations next week as well.
Weekly Stats: 4.2 IP / 1 H / 1 BB / 0.00 ERA / 3 K / 1-0 / 1 Hold
Who’s Not: Dillon Tate
It had been a strong start to Dillon Tate’s season coming off of some injuries in recent years. However, he did not have his best stuff this week. In 4 appearances this week, Tate gave up at least 2 hits in each. In his 4.1 innings pitched this week, Tate gave up 10 hits and 2 runs, while only striking out 1. Although the 2 runs he gave up are not detrimental to his ERA, they were detrimental to the Orioles’ hopes of sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays, as Tate lost the lead in the 8th inning, leading to his 1st blown lead of the season and his 1st loss.
Tate struggled to locate his pitches all week and allowed base runners very frequently. The O’s would love to see Tate strike some more guys out to reduce the amount of traffic on the base path. It is still a work in process for Tate, and fans should not be concerned about his struggles this week. He will be a big part of this Orioles bullpen and will surely find a way to bounce back this upcoming week.
Weekly Stats: 4.1 IP / 10 H / 1 BB / 4.39 ERA / 1 K / 0-1 / 0 Hold / 1 Blown
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