KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Colton Cowser made two splashes in the fountains at Kauffman Stadium this weekend.

The first was to help fish out the ball Craig Kimbrel used to secure his 422nd career Saturday night after Cowser flung it into the fountain. The second was when he clobbered a 430-foot home run into the well in the Orioles’ 5-0 win over the host Royals on Sunday afternoon.

It was poetic irony for Cowser to homer into the right-center field fountain less than 16 hours after he hilariously “yeeted” Kimbrel’s ball — the last out of his save that tied him with Billy Wagner for seventh on MLB’s all-time list — into the left-center field fountain.

But neither splash was surprising.

Cowser’s free-spirited, goofy personality made him the most likely member of the Orioles to commit such a blunder, which Kimbrel said he found funny once the ball was found. The 24-year-old outfield prospect’s talent and hot start to the season also mean it’s no surprise one of his long balls took a swim.

Cowser’s solo shot in the third was immediately followed by a 433-foot big fly from Jordan Westburg — the club’s first back-to-back homers this season. The early offense was all Baltimore’s pitching staff needed, as Cole Irvin delivered his best start as an Oriole with 6 2/3 scoreless innings and the bullpen bounced back after consecutive rough nights. The shutout win is the Orioles’ first this season after doing so 12 times last year.

After losing the first game of the series to end a four-game winning streak, the Orioles took the final two games against the pesky, up-and-coming Royals (13-9) to win their fifth series out of seven tries this season. Baltimore is 14-7 and only a half-game back of the New York Yankees, who sped out to a scorching-hot start to the season, for first place in the American League East.

After Cowser flung the ball into the fountain Saturday, it was retrieved by a Kauffman Stadium employee. Cowser realized almost immediately that he “messed up,” he said during a comical postgame interview with teammates Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson teasing him.

Kimbrel said Sunday morning he could tell Cowser was “distraught” about the mistake, with the veteran closer telling him not to “lose sleep over it.” The ball was placed in a container of rice in Kimbrel’s locker to help it dry.

“That’s fun, huh?” Kimbrel said with a smile. “We’ll see what the authenticators think when we talk to them.”

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