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Colton Cowser's been having a really nice week. Not only is he now among the top 5 WAR leaders on the Orioles, and not only are the Orioles closer to the pack in the wild card race than they ever have been this year...but, I'm not sure if you saw...he had this rather nice catch. Leaping catch at the wall at Coors. Saved the game in the bottom of the ninth. Even Andrew Kittredge couldn't believe it. 99% of other cases, that's not a catch, that blows the game, Rox win. Cowser made a very rare leaping catch that kept the Orioles' hopes alive. Now, granted, they lost the other two games. And now they have to play the Red Sox. But the eyes are finally on the O's, as they should be.

I got to see these guys in Baltimore a couple weeks ago. To be honest, the offense wasn't really the takeaway. As I was leaving, Samuel Basallo hit a moonshot to tie it and after I left, Dylan Beavers walked it off with some great contact work off of Bryan Baker, but while I was there these guys sort of chugged along. There were some great defensive plays, some good contact work, and enough of an effort against Shane McClanahan, but I wasn't wowed. After that, the fun really began, and they're now 69-71, a couple games back from the AL West contingency and with a decent enough shot at a surprise playoff experience. They just need to keep moving.

At this present moment, I think they've got enough to stay on this pace. The rotation is very solid, and consists of five guys that are trustworthy, can go deep into games and are taking care of themselves. Chris Bassitt's been improving since he got back. Brandon Young's having an excellent year, he's 9-3. Shane Baz and Kyle Bradish, despite 4 ERAs, are very dominant choices and are doing a lot of strong work. Trevor Rogers had a season high 11 Ks yesterday, bringing his total to 132. In addition, this team has Rico Garcia and Yennier Cano doing great setup work, Andrew Kittredge in the ninth, Alex Hoppe being lights-out as a return for Taylor Ward, and the very intriguing Luis De Leon. Pitching wise they haven't had this much security in a while, which is rare in a year without Felix Bautista.

As for the lineup, well...this team has three very cool choices at third base. The everyday guy is Christian Encarnacion Strand, and he's got 28 RBIs in 37 games. The fans already love him. The lefty platoon guy is Coby Mayo, and he has 19 homers and 55 RBIs, even if it isn't always pretty. And the recently-returning Blaze Alexander, now playing outfield more I think, is still an excellent contact bat, hitting .300 with 4 homers and 29 RBIs. This team has turned into a cavalcade of really cool options, ranging from Dylan Beavers and his clutch ability, Jackson Holliday and his slowly-forming all-purpose assets, Samuel Basallo and his walk-offs, Gunnar Henderson and his literally everything, and the already-beloved Pete Alonso. Alonso has 32 homers, 91 RBIs, and already is an Orioles hero. Plus, I hear this outfielder guy just showed up, this Luis Robert Jr. character. He's sure to be an added explosive element if this team can squeak into a playoff spot.

I don't know if this can happen. It takes both the Orioles withstanding the competition and being able to lap both AL West teams ahead of them, and right now I'm not sure how possible that is. But if it does happen, it'd be the coolest damn thing. I'd be all for it. They just need to keep this pace, and avoid losses like yesterday's. This Sox series will be a pretty important turning point for them. 

Coming Tonight: Another fun centerfielder from nearby actually.