Baltimore Orioles

Cowser’s three-run homer allows the Orioles to overcome lackadaisical offense and a crucial error.

Saturday’s game at Camden Yards was postponed because of rain and will be made up Sunday as part of a split doubleheader.

Pete Alonso also homered as the Orioles won the opening game of their homestand.

Jackson Holliday’s athletic ability and versatility give the Orioles another option at third base.

COLUMN | Frustration is circulating in and around the clubhouse as the Orioles stumble through May. The longest homestand of the season against the Tigers, Rays and Blue Jays is the team’s last chance to restore its self-confidence.

COLUMN | The club’s faith in what it does is so deeply held by those running the organization that any meaningful change would be an admission of failure that, at a time of such scrutiny, would only lend credence to the criticisms of the Orioles’ front office.

Tampa Bay played cleaner, better baseball in a three-game sweep of Baltimore.

After five more runs scored against the Orioles with two outs, they have allowed 118 runs in those situations.

Alonso wore his old Plant High School baseball shirt, the one with his retired No. 20 on the back, before each Orioles game.

A four-run eighth inning against right-hander Anthony Nunez left the Orioles trudging back home.

Taylor Ward’s leadoff home run marked the Orioles’ only score of the night. Right-hander Kyle Bradish and the pitching staff produced a strong performance, but they received little offensive support.

“If everything is synced up and you’re using it right, the swing will flow,” Alonso said.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers surrendered seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. His ERA has risen to 6.87.

Holliday has been recovering from a February surgery for a broken hamate bone in his right hand, and the 22-year-old has experienced a few setbacks in that process.

COLUMN | We aren’t far enough removed from watching this team tumble off the cliff to be OK with it standing so close to it again, but we need to acknowledge it is on sturdier ground.

Finally, on an afternoon when a scuffling offense needed a boost, the process and results aligned in the Orioles’ favor.

The Orioles and outfielder Tommy Pham agreed to a minor league deal Saturday, a person familiar with the deal confirmed to The Banner.

“This is a team that was built on its offense,” Mike Elias said. “Getting the offense clicking up and down the lineup is really gonna be a priority for us to improve that record.”

The Orioles have lost a key player for the year.

From the top of the baseball world to a middle-of-the-road club, the Orioles are at a critical juncture. Patience around Baltimore is wearing thin.