Cowser hits second straight walk-off homer, Orioles beat Rays in 13 innings

The finish mattered because Baltimore needed every bit of it. The Orioles had to claw back from deficits in the 11th, 12th and 13th innings before Cowser ended it, and the win was Baltimore’s first in four tries against a Rays club that had controlled much of the matchup. The Orioles improved to 34-17 and remained in first place in the AL East, 3.5 games ahead, with the kind of resilience that can separate a division leader from a team merely trying to stay afloat.

Cowser’s bat has been carrying the bigger story. The 2021 first-round pick was hitting .333 over an eight-game stretch and had all three of his home runs in that span, a burst that stands out after the uneven follow-up to his promising rookie season. He finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2024, collecting 13 of 30 first-place votes and 101 points, narrowly behind Luis Gil’s 106. That background has made this recent power surge feel less like a random heater and more like a player reasserting himself.

The 13th-inning blast was Cowser’s second walk-off hit in four seasons and 315 major league games, another sign that Baltimore may be getting a timely difference-maker just as the schedule tightens. Craig Albernaz credited Cowser’s work with the hitting coaches and his ability to solve problems in real time, a useful trait for a club that has leaned on young talent and late-inning offense to separate itself in the American League.