O's bats slowed as Angels win 4-1 (updated)

Former Orioles right-hander Alex Cobb got his season off to a good start this year with the Los Angeles Angels. He had an ERA of 3.78 through May. But the year took a downturn for him in June, when he pitched to an ERA of 7.32 over 19 2/3 innings.

However, Cobb got back on track tonight and slowed down the O's bats that had produced seven runs last night, 34 runs the last four games and 46 runs over the last seven.

Cobb and the Angels beat the Orioles 4-1 and have taken the first two games of this weekend series. The Orioles (27-56) need a win in tomorrow's series and road trip finale to avoid a three-game sweep in Anaheim.

Cobb pitched a season-high 7 2/3 innings. It was his longest outing since a complete game for the Orioles against Cleveland on Aug. 18, 2018. He gave up just four singles and one run with one walk and six strikeouts. O's batters went 4-for-25 against Cobb, who improved to 6-3 and lowered his ERA to 4.60, throwing a season-high 112 pitches. He used his two-seamer 52 percent tonight.

The Angels are 9-3 in Cobb's 12 starts and are 6-1 over his last seven outings. Cobb retired the side in order four times tonight, and thanks to a couple of double play balls, faced the minimum three batters in an inning six times.

Meanwhile, O's right-hander Jorge López, who began today tied for the major league lead with 10 losses, got into instant trouble tonight.

David Fletcher led off the opening inning with a single and then López walked both Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon on 3-2 pitches. López didn't get a few close calls and was in a bases-loaded, no-outs jam. Jared Walsh hit a grounder up the middle off the glove of shortstop Ramón Urías that went for an RBI single and 1-0 lead. Phil Gosselin then bounced into a fielder's choice grounder that scored a run and it was 2-0. But then López got a 6-4-3 double play grounder from catcher Max Stassi to get out of that mess. He threw 23 pitches in the first.

Former O's shortstop José Iglesias led off the second with an infield single. He scored on a one-out RBI double to left center by No. 9 hitter Juan Lagares for a 3-0 lead.

But the Orioles were not getting much going early on against their former teammate. Cobb retired the first six to face him in order before allowing a run in the top of the third. Third baseman Domingo Leyba drew a leadoff walk, went to third on a single by Urías and scored on a grounder by Pat Valaika.

Los Angeles expanded its lead to 4-1 in the last of the fifth. Ohtani, who had walked twice (once intentionally) to that point, grounded out to start the inning and Rendon struck out. But then Walsh doubled to left and Gosselin's RBI single to left pushed the lead back to three runs.

López went 4 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and four runs with four walks and strikeouts. He is now 2-11 with an ERA of 6.02 after a 88-pitch outing. The Orioles fall to 4-13 in López's starts this season and 1-9 over his past 10.

O's starting pitchers have now gone 10 straight games without recording an outing of at least six innings. They have just two of them in the last 29 games since June 1.

A night after hitting two homers and scoring the winning run in the ninth, Ohtani was 0-for-2 tonight and was walked three times. Coming into this game, he had hit 13 homers in 15 games and had a major league-leading 30 on the year.

The Angels are now 41-41 and have won 13 of 18 at home.

Cedric Mullins has been held without a hit in the first two games of this series and Austin Hays went hitless tonight, snapping a nine-game hitting streak.

O's manager Brandon Hyde on Cobb: "Cobb pitched an outstanding game. Thought he had everything going. He had the two-seamer working to both sides of the plate, a really good split, threw some curveballs. But his command was excellent and he pitched ahead in the count against us the entire game. Hats off to him. He was really good tonight."

Hyde on the two intentional walks to Ohtani: "I just think Ohtani right now is the best player in the league. Just trying to keep the score right there. No disrespect to Rendon, who I've seen too many times over the years get huge hits. He's a great player and a really good hitter. Ohtani, for me right now, is playing a different game than the rest of us. We had a base open there, so just didn't want to see him beat us."

Lopez on not getting the close calls on pitches in the first: "Yeah, sure. My emotions showed it. I really compete and sometimes I show my emotions. It's something I've been working on so long. But, yeah, some calls should be there. I didn't get it. I've just got to keep doing the best I can."