Orioles vs. Rockies discussion

By gum, they've done it. The Orioles are a .500 team again. Now why don't we see how much farther this ride can take us?

The O's got back to the even-water mark last night in the most thrilling way possible, on Colton Cowser's unbelievable, gravity-defying, home run robbery that turned a certain walkoff loss into one of the most amazing wins of the season. If you were asleep when the scene played out past midnight on the East Coast, I'm sure you've seen the highlight by now. But you can never watch it too many times, so enjoy:

If the Orioles go on to make the postseason, that catch might become one of the most iconic in O's history. It still might, even if the Orioles don't make it. The Birds enter tonight just a half game behind Cleveland for the third wild card spot. If the Orioles win and the Guardians lose to the Blue Jays, the Birds will be alone in a postseason spot.

The cynical part of me thinks that tonight has all the ingredients of a huge Orioles letdown. Their vibes are sky high after last night's thrilling finish, and they're facing a starter (Gabriel Hughes) who is 0-6 with a 6.61 ERA and a Rockies team that has suffered a franchise-worst 10 straight home losses. On paper it's a game the Orioles should easily win, which always seems to be exactly when they lose. It feels like a reverse jinx.

But maybe the Orioles really are finding their groove, and they'll find a way to grind out a victory tonight just as they did in last night's opener and in all three games in Sacramento. With September call-up season upon us, they've just added some reinforcements to the roster. Luis Robert Jr., whom they claimed on waivers yesterday, has been activated, with Christian Franklin going on the IL. And Heston Kjerstad, who's been hitting well at Triple-A Norfolk for months now, is finally getting his first call-up of the season. Also joining the club is lefty prospect Luis De León, who was just converted to relief. He gives the O's another southpaw bullpen option.

For tonight, neither Robert nor Kjerstad is in the starting lineup. Neither is Coby Mayo. Pete Alonso, after returning to first base last night, is back to DHing, with Samuel Basallo spelling him at first. That means Carlos Narváez, who is 4-for-51 as an Oriole, is the catcher. Maybe facing the struggling Hughes will finally get his bat going for a night, but I'm not holding my breath.

Reaching .500 was one milestone. Now can the Orioles climb their way over? We'll find out tonight.

2B Jackson Holliday DH Pete Alonso SS Gunnar Henderson 3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand LF Dylan Beavers 1B Samuel Basallo RF Leodys Taveras CF Colton Cowser C Carlos Narváez

CF Jake McCarthy RF Mickey Moniak DH Hunter Goodman 1B TJ Rumfield SS Cole Carrigg 3B Connor Norby C Brett Sullivan 2B Adael Amador LF Zac Veen