Lefthander Zac Lowther’s best work in big league camp came after he was optioned.
The Orioles placed Lowther on their travel roster for a March 24 game against the Red Sox and dumped him in a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth inning.
No sense easing him into the grind.
Lowther, a 2017 second-rounder from Xavier, induced a line drive to second base and double play grounder. He retired all eight batters he faced.
Nine outs recorded on 34 pitches. A manager who was impressed.
“First time I’ve really seen him for an extended period in game action and I thought he really threw the ball well,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I like the way he commanded his fastball, attacked hitters. Threw some changeups for strikes.”
The 24-year-old Lowther doesn’t give up many runs or lack in confidence. He didn’t pitch in 2020 because of the canceled minor league season and hasn’t faced hitters above Double-A, but he expects to be in the majors later this summer.
He made 26 starts for Bowie in 2019 and recorded a 2.55 ERA with 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He surrendered eight homers.
Lowther doesn’t light up radar guns, but his deceptive, high-spin fastball pairs with effective secondary stuff, including a plus curveball, to keep hitters flailing.
“He’s a guy who’s had a really nice minor league career up to this point, put up some great numbers,” Hyde said, “and we would like to see how that translates up here.”
First comes an assignment to the alternate training site and then he will join the Triple-A Norfolk rotation in May.
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