Baltimore rallied past the Colorado Rockies 2-1 Monday, holding on as centerfielder Colton Cowser robbed a potential game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth, after a successful replay challenge in the seventh inning overturned a call at first base, allowing Coby Mayo to score the go-ahead run off pitcher Nick Frasso.
Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Jordan Beck singled to center, scoring Hunter Goodman. The Orioles tied it in the fifth on Samuel Basallo's two-run double off the wall — his 10th double of the season — which scored Dylan Beavers. The game was delayed for over an hours in the sixth for rain and thunderstorms.
After that, the go-ahead run came in the seventh under unusual circumstances: With the bases loaded, Baltimore challenged a play at first on a Cowser grounder - a would-be double play - the call was overturned, and Mayo crossed the plate with what proved to be the winning run while Cowser, who legged out the play, was credited with a run batted in.
Basallo and Beavers each finished with a double for Baltimore's modest three-hit offense. On the mound, starter Cade Povich worked five innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with four strikeouts. Grant Wolfram earned the win with two scoreless innings, Rico Garcia entered with one out in the eighth and stranded two runners, and Andrew Kittredge closed it out with a one-inning save, only because Cowser swiped a Jake McCarthy would-be home run in acrobatic fashion with a runner on.
WHEN COWS FLY
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 1, 2026
COLTON COWSER HOME RUN ROBBERY TO END IT!! pic.twitter.com/3HRpWseLoM
"It's the best play I've ever seen in person," Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. "The catch itself, and game on the line. That's a walk-off homer... An unbelievable catch."
Cowser struck out looking in the top of the ninth, which fueled the defensive play, he said in an on-field interview afterward.
"I was pretty pissed off after my last at-bat," he said. "I got out in the field and said, 'Screw it. Who cares what happened at the dish? You can affect the game on defense.' That's what happened there."
The win moved the Orioles to 69-69 -- .500 for the first time in months -- leaving them half a game back of the final American League wild-card spot as they head into September.
"We know where we're at," Albernaz said. "It's good to get back to .500, gain a little bit in the wild card. We have to come out [Tuesday] and play competitive baseball and give ourselves a chance to win. That's what our guys do. They've been doing it all year. There's been ups and downs, but right now we're in a really good spot and our players are loving where we're at right now."