O's Game 2 game blog: Alex Cobb gets start against the Twins

Orioles right-hander Alex Cobb (0-0, 3.18 ERA) will come off the injured list to make the start tonight in Game 2 of the doubleheader against the Twins. In his season debut, in the home opener on April 4, Cobb went 5 2/3 innings and gave up five hits and two runs against the New York Yankees.

Cobb will be making his fifth career start against the Twins, having gone 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA in his first four starts. His last start against the Twins came on July 8, 2018 in Minnesota when he threw five innings, allowing five runs on seven hits, two home runs, with one walk and five strikeouts. His last win against the Twins came in his only career home start against Minnesota on Sept. 4, 2017, while with Tampa Bay, when he allowed one run on three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.. Cobb is 9-11 with a 4.50 ERA in 26 career starts against American League Central opponents.

Cobb has been held winless at Oriole Park since joining the Orioles last season. He posted a 4.94 ERA in 11 starts at Camden Yards in 2018, working to an 0-7 record. This marks the first time Cobb had not recorded a win in his home ballpark since going 0-1 in two starts at Tropicana Field for Tampa Bay during the 2016 campaign.

Lefty Martín Pérez (1-0, 5.02 ERA) gets the Game 2 start for the Twins. In four games this year and one as a starter he has thrown 14 1/3 innings allowing 18 hits with 11 walks and 17 strikeouts. Pérez gave up eight runs (seven earned) in 8 1/3 innings in his first three games of the year before he pitched well in a start Monday against Toronto. In that game, he went six innings and gave up seven hits and one run with two walks and five strikeouts on 86 pitches. He left with a 3-1 lead, but Toronto rallied for a 5-3 win.

The Twins signed Pérez to a one-year free agent deal worth $3.5 million in January and it includes a club option for 2020. Lefty batters have hit .385 off Perez and right-handers are batting .295 against him in 2019.

Pérez is making his 130th career start tonight. He is 44-49 with a 4.64 ERA, 281 walks and 479 strikeouts in 145 career appearances, including 129 starts. Lifetime against Baltimore, Pérez is 2-4 with a 5.36 ERA with nine walks and 29 strikeouts in seven appearances. His last start against the Orioles came July 14, 2018 at Camden Yards while with Texas. He gave up one run on five hits in seven innings, but took a tough-luck 1-0 loss.

The Twins and Orioles each hit three homers in Game 1, won 6-5 by Minnesota.

To get Cobb active between games, the Orioles have optioned Josh Lucas to Triple-A Norfolk. They added pitcher Branden Kline, a Frederick, Md., native, to the roster as the 26th player for Game 2. A player must be trimmed from the roster after the second game to get the roster back to 25 players.

A few notes after the opener:

* Rio Ruiz extended his hitting streak to four games. He went 2-for-4 and has six hits his last 17 at-bats. Ruiz is hitting .467 (7-for-15) the second time facing a pitcher in a game.

* Cedric Mullins hit a single to right in his second at-bat to snap an 0-for-20 stretch.

* Chris Davis went 2-for-4 with a double and was robbed of a homer by left fielder Eddie Rosario. Davis is batting .412 (7-for-17) with four extra-base hits his last five games.

* The Orioles have now gone 16 consecutive games without a quality start and they have just two outings of at least six innings by a starting pitcher this year.

* O's pitchers have allowed 49 homers in 21 games. They have given up three or more homers seven times in 2019 and six of those times were at home. They've allowed 31 homers in eight home games.