Cobb hit for 9 ER as Orioles fall to Toronto
TORONTO -- It seemed like nothing went Alex Cobb's way on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre, as the Orioles were swept in four games by the Blue Jays, 13-3.
Cobb lasted just 3 2/3 innings and allowed nine earned runs on 11 hits, which are both season highs. The right-hander's ERA now sits at 7.23 after the first 11 starts of his Orioles career.
Cobb certainly hasn't been the only Orioles player to struggle this season, which leaves manager Buck Showalter with the difficult decision of trying to rally his current roster of players or shaking things up.
"It's got to be sincere, and certainly has been when it's needed," Showalter said. "Then there's times when you don't beat on people when they're down. That's the way of managing and coaching people. It's not a time to be pointing fingers. It's pretty obvious where we're struggling."
The Blue Jays made plenty of hard contact against Cobb, with two home runs and a handful of balls hit right back up the middle that narrowly missed hitting him. Both of Toronto's home runs came off of Cobb's fastball, which he left up and over the plate too often.
"I felt really good to start this game," Cobb said. "I was looking forward to a nice outing and it turned quickly. I probably fell victim to trying to do too much, trying to make too good of pitches, and coming out of my delivery a bit on certain pitches."
Things really fell apart for the Orioles in the fourth inning, when the Blue Jays put up six runs and pulled away with a 9-1 lead. Toronto sent 11 batters to the plate in that frame and racked up seven of its 19 hits.
There was some tough luck mixed in for Cobb earlier in his start, too. Toronto's first two runs crossed on a Curtis Granderson blooper that fell just out of the reach of left fielder Trey Mancini. That ball had a hit probability of 16 percent, according to Statcast™. The Blue Jays also plated two runners who reached on hit probabilities of 16 percent and 5 percent.
"The two runs he gave up, he gave up a ground ball that sneaks through the infield, a swinging bunt, and a popup," Showalter said. "Next thing you know, he's giving up two. That took some air out of us. After that, it obviously got away from us a little bit."
Entering Sunday, the Orioles had nine quality starts from their rotation in the past 10 days.
"The whole group's been pitching really well on this trip," Showalter said. "We started out winning two games on the road in New York and then we came here and it certainly has gotten away from us again."
Darren O'Day made his first appearance since missing over a month with a hyperextended right elbow. O'Day pitched a clean inning, with two strikeouts on 17 pitches.
The Orioles didn't provide much in the way of offense, but Mancini put the O's on the board in the top of the second inning with a no-doubt home run to center field. The 414-foot shot left Mancini's bat at 107.6 mph, according to Statcast™, and was his eighth of the season.
Jonathan Schoop added a solo home run of his own in the top of the seventh. As the last batter that Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada faced, Schoop turned on a low changeup and snuck it over the wall in left field for his sixth homer of the season.
SOUND SMART
The Orioles are now 9-27 (.250) on the road, which is the lowest road winning percentage in the Majors.
HE SAID IT
"We gave up 19 hits and only scored three runs. That's not a very good recipe for success." -- Showalter
UP NEXT
The Orioles return home on Monday for a three-game series against the Red Sox, beginning at 7:05 p.m. ET at Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy gets the start and is coming off an outing in which he tossed seven shutout innings against the Mets. Bundy has thrown five consecutive starts of six innings or more. Reliever Zach Britton is expected to be activated off the disabled list for Monday's game. Boston will start right-hander Steven Wright.