Baltimore Orioles: Alex Cobb shines in Birds’ first win of 2020

Reports of the Baltimore Orioles’ demise might have been slightly exaggerated after last night’s big loss. The O’s sent veteran Alex Cobb to the mound this afternoon at Fenway Park, and he didn’t disappoint. Keep in mind that it’s been over a year since Cobb has pitched, due to being shelved with an injury last April. Cobb’s line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

The Orioles had that determined look in their eyes this afternoon right from the get go. They wanted to get the stink of last night’s loss shoved to the side, and they hit the ground running right away. The Birds put two runners in scoring position right out of the box. And Renato Nunez smack a two-RBI double off the green monster in left field, giving the O’s a 2-0 lead.

Nunez would later score on a fielding error, extending the lead to 3-0. One inning later Hanser Alberto‘s RBI-single ran it to 4-0. Jose Iglesias‘ RBI-single later in the inning gave the Birds a 5-0 lead.

However the key was Cobb. Granted it helped that he got some runs early, but he kept a decent Boston lineup in check for the most part. He absolutely painted the corners throughout his entire outing. He employed late movement on his pitches, that kept Boston hitters guessing all day.

Cobb went back out to start the sixth inning, and after recording an out surrendered a homer to Moreland. That ended his day. Boston would also get an infield RBI-single from Plaweki, cutting the lead to 5-2. However one of the more unsung moments of the game was Miguel Castro coming out of the Birds’ pen with two outs, throwing three pitches, and ending the inning. Two potent fastballs and a sweeping slider. Good morning, good afternoon, and good night. 

With Boston looking to rally and Cobb long gone, that was a huge moment in the game. And Castro rose to the occasion. Oriole bats also rose to the occasion an inning later in the seventh. One thing we’ve seen from the Orioles in 2018 and ’19 was the lack of insurance runs. We did see it a little bit in Sarasota, which I recall saying at the time was a good sign. But it’s lacked in recent years, and that’s helped losses to pile up.

But it wasn’t the case today. Anthony Santander smacked a two-RBI double in the seventh, extending the Orioles’ lead back to five at 7-2. Again, that’s something I remember nothing in the spring which I thought boded well. While the Oriole bullpen never allowed Boston to get back on the board, insurance runs are never a bad thing. The sum of all these parts gave the Orioles their first win of 2020, 7-2 over Boston.

The series concludes tomorrow at Fenway Park. Wade LeBlanc gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Ryan Weber. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.