Colton Cowser hit a two-run home run to break an eighth-inning tie as the host Baltimore Orioles beat the slumping Atlanta Braves 4-2 on Wednesday night.
Cowser’s eighth home run of the season, and his first since May 26, matched a two-run homer by Atlanta’s Matt Olson in the top of the inning as the Orioles pushed their winning streak to six games.
Olson’s 10th home run of the season came off Baltimore reliever Keegan Akin and tied the game at 2-2.
Akin (2-0) ended up as the winning pitcher, allowing two hits over 1 1/3 innings, before Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his 16th save. Cedric Mullins had two hits and a run for the Orioles, who have won 16 of their last 20 games.
Joe Jimenez (1-2) took the loss after giving up Cowser’s blast.
Orioles starter Cade Povich pitched six shutout innings and was in line to pick up his first victory in the major leagues until the Braves broke through in the eighth.
The slumping Braves were in danger of being shut out for the second night in a row. Olson and Marcell Ozuna each had two hits, but Atlanta has lost five straight games.
The game started as a matchup of starting pitchers who had a combined three outings in the majors.
Povich, in his second outing, gave up five hits with six strikeouts and no walks.
Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach largely did his part, logging six innings and giving up two runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out three.
The Orioles struck first in the third inning. Mullins hit a leadoff double, and Jorge Mateo followed with a single and stole second before Gunnar Henderson’s run-scoring groundout.
It was 2-0 after a run scored on an error on Adley Rutschman’s grounder, and the inning ended on a double play.
Atlanta’s only hit through three innings was Michael Harris II’s single with two outs in the third. The Braves began the fourth with singles by Ozuna and Olson, but they didn’t convert because of a strikeout and a pair of groundouts.
–Field Level Media