Colton Cowser’s work in center field has turned into a string of highlight-reel plays, and Orioles manager Craig Albernaz says that kind of defense doesn’t just show up on its own.
Cowser, who is starting in center field Wednesday night, has been making one standout catch after another in recent weeks. Albernaz said the difference isn’t some mysterious hot streak the way a hitter might get rolling. For him, it comes back to repetition and trust.
“I think it’s just confidence,” Albernaz said. “You feel like when the ball is under the air, and it has air under it, you feel like you can go catch it. It doesn’t matter where it is.
“You get to that point just because of the work you put it. It doesn’t happen by accident.
I’m sure everyone has seen it here for defensive work and [batting practice], Cowser gets after it. All his work is very intentional, and it’s not surprising what he’s doing out in center field.
“I do think there’s not a hot streak, but there’s a confidence that comes with that when you’re feeling good, you get in the right jumps, you’re making plays, you just get in that zone, that confidence mode where you feel like you can get anything.”
The Orioles also learned Wednesday that former manager Phil Regan has died at 89.
Regan managed Baltimore in 1995 and was the man in the dugout when Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game streak that season. Before his time as a skipper, Regan built a 13-year major league pitching career with the Tigers, Dodgers, Cubs and White Sox. He was an All-Star in 1966 and was part of the Dodgers team that lost to the Orioles in the 1966 World Series.
His lone season as Orioles manager ended with a 71-73 record. Regan later spent years coaching, including serving as an interim pitching coach for the New York Mets in 2019 at age 82.
The Orioles also announced several minor league moves and honors. Infielder Jaiden Le Re and right-handed pitcher JT Quinn were named the organization’s minor league player and pitcher of the month. Le Re hit .361 with a home run and 12 RBIs for Single-A Delmarva and the Florida Complex League Orioles, while Quinn went 1-0 with a 2.73 ERA in five starts for High-A Frederick.
Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Jud Fabian has been reinstated from the injured list. Delmarva infielder Cobb Hightower has been placed on the injured list. Catcher Chadwick Tromp cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.
The Orioles’ lineup Wednesday against the Cubs features Gunnar Henderson at shortstop, Adley Rutschman behind the plate and Colton Cowser in center. Taylor Ward is in left, Pete Alonso at first, Samuel Basallo at designated hitter, Dylan Beavers in right, Blaze Alexander at third and Jackson Holliday at second. Dean Kremer is set to start on the mound.
Chicago’s lineup has Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, Alex Bregman at third, Michael Busch at first, Seiya Suzuki at DH, Ian Happ in left, Nico Hoerner at second, Michael Conforto in right, Carson Kelly at catcher and Dansby Swanson at short. Colin Rea is the Cubs’ starter.
In Other News...
Dodgers Trade Proposal Puts Orioles In A Tough Spot With Lefty
The Orioles keep getting pulled into the pitching market chatter, and Trevor Rogers is the kind of arm that naturally draws it. He has been uneven enough over the full season to leave plenty of questions, but his recent stretch has also reminded teams why left-handed starters with upside still carry real appeal in July. For Baltimore, that creates the familiar tension of weighing short-term value against the kind of trade interest that can reshape a deadline conversation.
What makes the situation trickier is the timing. Rogers would come with no long-term control, so any deal has to be judged against the price of the return, not just the name value on the other side. The Dodgers are still shopping for pitching help and have bigger targets they could chase, which only adds to the sense that Baltimore could be asked to part with a useful arm without getting the kind of package that makes a move easy to justify. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans May Never Forget This Missed Chance At An Ace
The Orioles were in position at the 2024 trade deadline to chase the kind of frontline starter every contender covets, and Tarik Skubal was sitting right there as the obvious prize. Detroit never completed a deal, Baltimore never got its ace, and the missed window has only grown more frustrating as the pitching market keeps reminding teams how rare those chances are.
MLB Network Insider Jon Morosi has framed it as the kind of opportunity Baltimore may not get back, especially with Skubals name already surfacing again as the 2025 deadline draws closer. For an Orioles club that has spent the last year trying to balance present urgency with future value, the lingering question is whether the front office will be willing to pay the price this time around. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Mountcastle Just Became An Orioles Deadline Tension Point
Ryan Mountcastle is still working back from the 60-day injured list, and the Orioles at least have some clarity on the broad outline of his recovery. President of baseball operations Mike Elias said Mountcastle is progressing, with a return possible after the All-Star break, but he stopped short of putting a date on it. For a team in the middle of a rebuild, that leaves one of its more recognizable bats in a familiar holding pattern: close enough to matter, not quite close enough to know exactly where he fits.
The bigger question is what happens once he is ready. Baltimore has enough uncertainty around the roster that Mountcastles next step is not just about health, but about opportunity, and there is already a sense that the Orioles could listen if the right trade angle emerges before the Aug. 3 deadline. For now, the club is still waiting on the same thing everyone else is - a clearer picture of when he is back, and what role he would actually have when he gets there. [Read more 🡒]