Rookie Zac Lowther’s best start, homers from Ryan Mountcastle and Austin Hays lift Orioles to 3-0 win over Rangers

BALTIMORE — Three years ago this month, Orioles rookie left-hander Zac Lowther was at Camden Yards being honored as the organization’s Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year for his first full season, seemingly putting him on the fast-track to the majors.

It’s been a shaky start since he finally arrived earlier this summer, but a career-best game Thursday night in a 3-0 win over the Texas Rangers to begin a four-game series before 6,328 fans at Camden Yards reinforced to Lowther and the Orioles (49-104) that better days are ahead for the 25-year-old.

Lowther struck out a career-high seven in five innings of three-hit, shutout ball for the Orioles, and did so by settling in quickly after being ambushed by a barrage of hits in his most recent starts.

Five of the first eight batters Lowther faced struck out, and though he had traffic on the bases in all but the third inning and reached 94 pitches quickly, he did well to keep Texas down.

By game score (69), Lowther’s start Thursday was the second-best of the 68 by a rookie pitcher for the Orioles this season, behind only Keegan Akin’s start Aug. 26 against the Los Angeles Angels.

Fellow rookie Glenn Otto held the Orioles scoreless until the fourth, when Richie Martin laid down a sacrifice bunt with Ryan McKenna at third after a double by McKenna and a single by Jahmai Jones.

Ryan Mountcaslte hit his 31st home run of the season in the fifth to send Lowther off with a two-run lead, and Austin Hays’ 22nd homer of the season came in the eighth to give a 4-0 lead to an impressive relief trio of Mike Baumann, Cole Sulser and Tyler Wells.

Sulser time

In a difficult season for pitchers all over baseball, Sulser is completing a quietly impressive — and healthy — season. With 1 2/3 innings of no-hit, no-run ball with two strikeouts Thursday, Sulser has a 2.82 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP and 73 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings.

He inherited two runners from Baumann in the seventh and kept the inning scoreless, ensuring the first outing without allowing a run for the rookie Baumann since his major league debut Sept. 7.

Around the horn

— Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said right-hander Chris Ellis, who is experiencing arm fatigue, will start Saturday as long as he recovers well from his bullpen session Thursday afternoon.

— Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann allowed two runs on four hits with six strikeouts in four innings on a rehab start for Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday. Hyde said they’d see how he felt coming out of the outing before determining whether he should pitch in the majors again this season.

— Infielder Ramón Urías, who went on the injured list Wednesday with a right adductor strain, won’t return this season, Hyde said. Urías can compete for a job next spring thanks to what he showed this year, Hyde said.