Cobb will miss Grapefruit start due to blister

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Orioles starter Alex Cobb will miss his planned spring outing on Thursday against the Twins with a “small, little blister” on his right hand, according to O's manager Brandon Hyde, who made the announcement prior to Wednesday's 14-2 loss to the Blue Jays in Grapefruit League action at TD Ballpark.

Instead, Cobb will pitch a simulated game at the Orioles’ complex in Sarasota, Fla., to keep the 32-year-old in a more controlled environment in case anything flares up. Left-handed prospect Bruce Zimmermann, who has impressed in his first big league camp, will start in Cobb’s place against Minnesota.

“We’re not concerned about [it],” Hyde said. “If it was the regular season, he would pitch tomorrow.”

Regardless, it at the very least complicates the spring season for Cobb, who was limited to three starts in 2019 due to a June surgery to address a femoroacetabular impingement in his right hip, which contributed to the back spasms that landed him on the injured list. Cobb missed two starts in August 2017, due to blisters and he had to be shut early that season when the issues resurfaced. He battled flu-like symptoms at the onset of camp and he has done most of his work on the backfields this spring, logging just one inning in Grapefruit League play.

How the finger on Cobb’s right hand reacts to his simulated game the following day will likely indicate his next steps before a return to game action. The Orioles hope that he is able to pitch through the entirety of his planned buildup on Thursday in order to keep him on track to pitch behind Means as soon as March 28 -- Game No. 2 of the season against the Yankees. If not, Asher Wojciechowski, Wade LeBlanc or Kohl Stewart are primed to step up.

“It would be the same amount of work that he would have in a game,” Hyde said. “Just so we don’t have to drive to Fort Myers, and if something happens in the bullpen before the game or the first inning, now we’re scrambling for innings.”

The Orioles signed Cobb to a four-year, $57 million deal he signed in March 2018. He has pitched to a 5.36 ERA in 164 2/3 innings (31 games) through his first two seasons.

What about Means?
Means threw a five-inning, 75-pitch simulated game on Wednesday, one where he “threw the ball good,” Hyde said. The news about Cobb almost all but assures the runner-up for the American League Rookie of the Year Award last season gets the ball on Opening Day

Means has appeared in two Grapefruit League games, allowing two earned runs in 4 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and zero walks.

Keegan’s plan
The Orioles sent left-hander Keegan Akin -- ranked as their No. 11 prospect by MLB Pipeline -- to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday after he was roughed up for three runs in as many innings during a 6-3 win over the Braves. That effort ballooned Akin’s Grapefruit League ERA to 7.45 in 9 2/3 innings (four outings).

Entering camp with an outside shot at the rotation, Akin showed the Orioles some moments of rotation-worthy pitches, but he could not put it all together into a consistent spring. The 24-year-old admitted after his last outing that he needs to improve pitching out of the stretch.

“Now it’s just being a little more consistent with it,” Hyde said. “And he’s close. It’s exciting. For me, he had a really good camp. It was exciting to see him, and hopefully see him soon.”

From the trainer’s room
• Chance Sisco has played in just seven Grapefruit League games, and that’s due to a sore hand he sustained after taking a foul pitch off it while catching recently, Hyde said. He hit against Means in Wednesday's simulated game, as well as opposite Chandler Shepherd, who also threw a four-inning outing in Sarasota.

“Everything is good there,” Hyde said.

• Utility man Stevie Wilkerson, who is not on the 40-man roster, left Wednesday’s game in the seventh inning after fouling a ball off his right shin. Hyde said it was too early to tell the nature of his injury.

Up next
Zimmermann will make his second start (fourth appearance) of the Grapefruit League season against the Twins at 6:05 p.m. ET on Thursday at CenturyLink Sports Complex. The Baltimore native has allowed four runs in 7 2/3 innings, but overall he's impressed with his out pitches, which were evident in his nine strikeouts. Jhoulys Chacín will start for Minnesota. Watch the game on MLB.TV and listen to Gameday Audio.