By Jake McDonnell
The Baltimore Orioles, now 10-17, opened up their six-game road trip by dropping their series opener to the Minnesota Twins 6-1.
Six days after Alex Cobb criticized the baseballs used within the MLB following his 2.2-inning start in which he gave up three home runs to the Twins, Minnesota belted four home runs against Cobb at Target Field Friday night. The four long balls surrendered set a new career high for Cobb. Interestingly enough, the previous career high was set in Cobb's prior start at Camden Yards.
Cobb began the game by getting both Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco to ground out, but then Nelson Cruz, Eddie Rosario and C.J. Cron hit back-to-back-to-back solo home runs. In the fourth inning Kepler homered off Cobb for the second time, marking the ninth homer the veteran right-hander has allowed in three starts accumulating 12.1 innings.
"Still looks a little bit rusty," Hyde said of Cobb after the game on MASN. "Having a tough time executing the pitches he wants to execute. All of the homers were on off-speed pitches from him. I don't think he's where he wants to be, and hopefully he's going to get there soon.
Hyde said that Cobb got out of the game okay health-wise, but he's still working through some things that the Orioles are monitoring.
Gabriel Ynoa worked 3.1 innings after Cobb's exit and allowed home run #5 of the game in the fifth inning when Nelson Cruz hit his fourth home run of the season to put Minnesota up 6-0. Three of Cruz's four home runs this season have come against Baltimore. Factoring in the 11 home runs the Twins smashed at Camden Yards last weekend, Minnesota's dinger total against the Orioles in four games is up to 16. As a team the O's have given up 64 home runs so far in the young season.
The Birds plated their first and only run in the top of the sixth inning. Jonathan Villar and Trey Mancini got things going with back-to-back singles. After Renato Nunez flew out, Dwight Smith Jr. singled to right field to score Villar. Smith Jr. is now hitting .500 with runners in scoring position.
The two remaining games of this Minnesota series have a 2:10 first pitch times on Saturday and Sunday. Tomorrow's match-up on the hill is Dylan Bundy (0-3, 6.56 ERA) vs. Kyle Gibson (1-0, 6.10 ERA).
Notes from the farm:
- At Triple-A, the Tides defeated the Louisville Bats in a crazy 16-14 offensive outburst. Norfolk second baseman Christopher Bostick finished with five RBI, hitting a three-run home run in the second inning and a two-run single in the sixth inning. Bostick is hitting .291 with two home runs this season. Jace Peterson knocked in two during the effort on a ground-rule double and a solo home. Branden Kline saved his first game of the season, throwing two-thirds of an inning and allowing a hit and a walk.
- Dillon Tate tossed 3.2 innings in Double-A Bowie's 5-3 loss to the Akron RubberDucks, allowing one run on four hits and two strikeouts.
- 2017 first-round pick D.L. Hall earned his first win of 2019 on Friday as the Frederick Keys shut out the Winston-Salem Dash 7-0. Over five innings Hall struck out eight, allowing just one walk and one hit. Third baseman Jomar Reyes hit a two-run home run and crossed home three separate times.
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