O's game blog: Alex Cobb makes season debut at Fenway Park

The first game of the shortened 2020 season was a dud for the Orioles. So let's see, after a quick turnaround, what will unfold in the second one. The Orioles (0-1) play at Boston (1-0) this afternoon in the second game of a three-game series.

The Red Sox scored four runs in the third and six in the fourth on opening night. They banged out eight doubles and 17 hits in a 13-2 win. It's the most runs the Orioles have ever allowed on opening day. After winning eight straight openers through 2018, Baltimore has lost two in a row to New York and Boston.

The Red Sox went 10-for-19 with runners in scoring position and the Orioles went 1-for-5. No Oriole had a multi-hit game, as they went 6-for-31 at bat. Renato Núñez doubled in a run in the O's sixth, and an inning later, Rio Ruiz hit a solo home run.

Right-hander Alex Cobb today makes his first regular-season start since April 26, 2019 at Minnesota. That day, he allowed four homers and five runs over four innings. Cobb made just three starts last season, going 0-2 with a 10.95 ERA. In June 2019, he had hip and knee surgeries.

Throughout his career, Cobb has been a better pitcher in the second half of his seasons. In the first half, he is a collective 25-35 with a 4.69 ERA and a 1.338 WHIP. In the second half, he is 28-19 with an ERA of 3.07 and a WHIP of 1.186. April is statistically his worst career month. His record is 5-12 with an ERA of 5.72, a WHIP of 1.513 and home run rate of 2.2 per nine innings.

Cobb did not face Boston last year. In 17 career games, all starts, versus Boston, he is 7-6 with a 3.84 ERA over 98 1/3 innings. In nine career games at Fenway Park, he has posted a 6-2 record and 4.32 ERA.

Left-hander Martín Pérez gets the start for Boston. He was signed over the offseason as a free agent to a one-year deal worth $6 million. The pact includes a 2021 team option for $6.25 million.

The 29-year-old Pérez went 10-7 with an ERA of 5.12 in 2019 for the Twins. He threw 165 1/3 innings for Minnesota in 2019, allowing 184 hits with 1.3 homers per nine, 3.6 walks and 7.3 strikeouts. In his career, he is 53-56 with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.486 WHIP.

Last year, lefties hit just .228 with an OPS of .585 against him while right-handed batters hit .293/.836. Of the 23 homers he allowed last season, 22 were hit by right-handed batters. Pérez went 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA versus the Orioles in 2019. In 11 career games and starts against Baltimore, he is 6-4 with a 4.77 ERA and a 1.273 WHIP. Pérez is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA over his last three starts versus the Orioles.

He is beginning his ninth season in the majors and first with the Sox. Perez made his major league debut at only 21 in 2012 with Texas. In 2019, he allowed an average exit velocity of 85.4 mph, tied for the fourth-lowest in the majors (minimum 400 batted balls), just ahead of Eduardo Rodriguez (85.7 mph)of the Red Sox and Jacob deGrom (85.8 mph) of the Mets.

Ruiz Friday homer marked the 61st Orioles home run on opening day and the first since 2018. Brooks Robinson is the O's all-time leader with six opening day home runs, Cal Ripken Jr. ranks second with four, and Eddie Murray, Frank Robinson and Gus Triandos are tied for third with three each.