What they’re saying about Colton Cowser and Orioles’ sweep of Red Sox

BOSTON—What happened? The Orioles had a six-run 10th inning highlighted by a two-run home run from Gunnar Henderson and Colton Cowser’s three-run blast to defeat the Boston Red Sox, 9-4, on Thursday night.

It was the Orioles’ first series sweep of the season in their first series against the American League East.

Cowser, who started in left field for all three games,  hit the first two home runs of his major league career. In the series, he had five extra-base hits and 10 RBIs, the first Oriole to do that in a three-game span since Chris Davis in 2013.

“It came in a big spot today,” Cowser said.

The Orioles had only a run and four hits in seven innings.

“We do have confidence in our offense, and we can do a lot of different things and so far this year we’ve taken great at-bats the last third of the game,” manager Brandon Hyde said.

“Towards the end of the game, we started stacking good [at-bats], getting it to the next guy, and that’s something you have to do in a season like this,” Cowser said.

Anthony Santander’s two-run home run gave the Orioles a 3-2 lead in the eighth.

What happened with Henderson? After striking out in his previous three times at-bat, Henderson hit an opposite-field two-run homer over Fenway Park’s Green Monster.

“A little bit overswinging at times,” Hyde said. “They’re pitching him a little bit differently this year, and he’s got to make the adjustment back and get them down in the zone. They’re riding balls up on him right now … Might be a little bit of a slow start, but he’s going to be just fine.”

“Glad to see one go off the barrel a little bit,” Henderson said. “I had to hang with them there. We had a couple of opportunities early, but were able to come through late and ultimately get the sweep.”

How strong was Cowser’s series? The season is just two weeks old, and Cowser leads major league rookies with a .458 average, a 1.379 OPS and 11 RBIs.

His three-run home run in the 10th, on a 3-0 pitch, excited Hyde.

“That was a wow moment,” Hyde said. “That was an impressive swing.”

How did Rodriguez throw? Oriole starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez gave up two runs in the first inning. In 5 2/3, he allowed two runs on six hits.

“An unlucky first inning,” Hyde said. “Really good after that.”

Rodriguez said his first inning was “rocky.”

“I was able to kind of settle in after that. Then the offense prevailed there in the end,” he said.

He got to be a fan in the clubhouse, watching the 10th-inning fireworks.

“We were shouting pretty loud,” Rodriguez said. “It was pretty cool to see that, see the bats coming alive at the end when it matters the most.”

What’s the word? “If Jackson hits a home run before me, I’m going to be pretty upset. I know his is coming soon.”­-Cowser on his wait for a home run.

What does it mean? The Orioles play only seven of their first 38 games against American League East opponents. They’ll play the New York Yankees from April 29^th-May 2^nd.

“You definitely want to play your division well, and we did that this series,’ Hyde said.

“It’s a good start to the AL East,” Rodriguez said. “To be able to come in here in kind of a hostile environment in the first two games, being able to get three wins out of it, that’s big.

What’s the stat of the day? 6-0. The Orioles haven’t lost when they’ve hit a home run. They hit a season-high four home runs.

What’s the latest on the lineups? “We have a lot of really good problems right now,” Hyde said. “We have four guys on the bench I wish could go out there. That’s going to be on a nightly basis. As the season gets going, it’s going to be easier to kind of rotate to be able to give guys days off. Early in the year with all these offdays, it’s a little bit more difficult.

“Fatigue starts setting in, day game after night games, matchups, things like that. It’s a little bit easier to rotate guys.”

What’s the latest on Cionel Pérez? The left-handed relief pitcher is on the 15-day injured list with a strained right oblique, and Hyde said he’s doing well.

“I’m not sure if he’s throwing a side yet, but he’s throwing and moving in the right direction,” Hyde said. “The progression’s going extremely well. I know he’s playing catch. I’m just not sure how far along with that. It’s just a matter of time now.”

What’s going on in the minors? In his third rehab start for Norfolk, Oriole starter John Means allowed two runs in three innings in the Tides’ 4-3 loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Bruce Zimmermann allowed two unearned runs in five innings. Catcher Michael Pérez hit a three-run home run.

First baseman Scott Etzel had five hits and catcher Creed Willems hit a three-run home run in High-A Aberdeen’s 9-1 win over Wilmington. Cameron Weston pitched five hitless innings.

Kyle Bradish’s first scheduled rehab start became a live batting practice session for Aberdeen because of the forecast.

Salem beat Single-A Delmarva, 8-4, in 10 innings. The Shorebirds are 0-6.

Double-A Bowie’s game with Hartford was postponed because of rain. It will be made up as a doubleheader on Saturday.

What’s next? Tyler Wells (0-1, 4.76) will face Freddy Peralta (1-0, 3.09) when the Orioles host the Milwaukee Brewers in a three-game series beginning on Friday at 7:05 p.m. The game will be shown exclusively on Apple TV+.

Former Oriole DL Hall is scheduled to pitch for the Brewers on Saturday. Corbin Burnes, who was acquired from Milwaukee in the February deal for Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz, will face his former team on Sunday.

The first 15,000 fans 15-and-over will receive a Jackson Holliday Debut T-Shirt.

Transactions: The Orioles acquired right-handed pitcher Yohan Ramírez from the New York Mets for cash considerations and claimed infielder Liván Soto from the Los Angeles Angels and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster is full.

Call for questions: I’ll be answering at least one question every weekday. Send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com