More bullpen struggles and Ofelky Peralta's big strikeout game

There will be tough days in baseball and the Orioles had one Tuesday. They lost two pitchers to the injured list and then lost a 13-2 blowout to Oakland to fall to 5-6 on the year. They've played in three straight blowout games, losing two of them.

Right-handers Nate Karns and Alex Cobb were added to the injured list yesterday. Cobb is dealing with back spasms. He had come off the IL to pitch well in the home opener versus the Yankees, allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings. He threw his splitter 32 times in that outing. Cobb is 3-3 with a 2.62 ERA in his last 12 starts, dating to the 2018 All-Star break.

The split appears solid for him already this year, as it was late last year. Now he just has to get healthy and get back out there. He told me a few days ago that his first start felt to him like many of his starts when he pitched so well last year in the second half.

"I would say at times it felt like the second half on a bad note, which is a good thing," Cobb said. "Because when it was going really well, it felt like the old me, pre-Tommy John surgery. I was able to cruise. I would lose it every once in a while, and when I did, I felt like it was more along the lines of last year's second half. I wasn't content with the second half of last year. I know I had decent results, but it still wasn't the pitcher I'm looking to become. And during that game against the Yankees, it felt like at times it really was that pitcher that I'm trying to be. There were some really good ones, honestly the best splits of my career at times in that game."

Speaking of pitching, the Orioles bullpen gave up seven runs in the last two innings last night. Richard Bleier has an ERA of 14.54 and Miguel Castro has an ERA of 11.57.

The O's bullpen has an ERA of 7.87 through 11 games, which is next to worst in the American League right now, ahead of only Kansas City at 8.07. During the last six games - five losses by the Orioles - their bullpen ERA is 10.17 and they've allowed 10 homers in 28 1/3 innings. The O's 'pen has allowed a major league-high 44 runs.

Peralta's strikeouts: In Single-A Delmarva's 8-5 win in 10 innings last night at Kannapolis, young right-hander Ofelky Peralta had his strikeout pitch going. He was throwing consistently around 96 mph and touched 98, and and Kannapolis hitters couldn't do much against him. Over 3 2/3 innings, he allowed four hits and one run with one walk and 10 strikeouts. He got the first out of the game on a bunt back to the mound and then he got his last 10 outs via strikeouts.

The Orioles signed him out of the Dominican Republic for $325,000 in September 2013. He first made it to Delmarva at 19 in 2016 and pitched the last two seasons with Single-A Frederick to ERAs of 5.33 and 6.22. He was bothered in the second half last year by right elbow tendinitis.

But Peralta got a save on April 5 and has fanned 12 batters in 4 2/3 innings on the season. It looks like the O's sent him back to Delmarva to work on his control and he's walked just one batter this year, although he ran some deep counts last night. Peralta, who turns 22 on April 20, may have been sent back to the South Atlantic League to harness his command, work on his stuff and maybe take one step back to try and later take two steps forward. Based on last night, he's off to a strong start.

Orioles farm teams have racked up some strikeouts so far. Triple-A Norfolk's staff has fanned 44 in 45 innings. Double-A Bowie pitchers have fanned 46 in 39 2/3 innings. Single-A Frederick has struck out 57 in 54 frames and Delmarva pitchers have recorded 58 strikeouts over 38 innings during a 3-1 start.

By the way, Delmarva was down to its last out in the ninth last night when outfielder Robert Neustrom hit a game-tying three-run homer. The Shorebirds went on to win in extras.