How long do Orioles stick with Mayo and Cowser? | MAILBAG

Question: At what point do the Orioles and Mike Elias look in the mirror and conclude that Colton Cowser and Coby Mayo are not going to hit major league pitching with enough regularity to keep their roster spots and start looking for alternatives for both? From: Jeff Mitchell, Baltimore

Answer: I think both Cowser and Mayo are going to get every opportunity to play. It’s possible’s Mayo’s spot could be in danger when Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg return, but neither’s return is imminent.

Elias addressed the question of Cowser on Friday.

“We know the talent level’s there,” he said. “He’s frustrated. Right now, he’s helping us and we need him on the team. I think we’re too early to judge individual performances, positive or negative direction too severely this early in the calendar.”

Question: I understand the reason to have position players pitch when a team is being blown out. What I don’t understand is who gets picked for this thankless job and why they seem to merely toss batting practice? From: Ted Kramer

Answer: Ted, when it came time for a position player to pitch, the Orioles had four position players on the bench: Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser and Weston Wilson.

Generally, managers choose a player who’s not a regular to pitch in blowouts. I thought Wilson was the obvious choice, though I find watching position players pitch distasteful.

The thinking is that if they throw offspeed pitches, they’re less likely to be hit hard. In this case, that didn’t work out well since Wilson gave up two home runs.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.