O's game blog: Andrew Cashner makes his Orioles debut

After the walk-off win in the 11th on opening day, followed by Friday's off day, the Orioles resume their 2018 season tonight at Camden Yards. They host the Minnesota Twins in the second game of a three-game series.

Right-hander Andrew Cashner makes his official Orioles debut at 7:05 p.m. With Texas in 2017, he went 11-11 with a 3.40 ERA. He had a groundball rate among starters that ranked ninth in the American League at 48.6 and he tied for 11th in the league with 18 quality starts. He was also pitch-efficient, ranking seventh in the American League at 15.8 pitches per inning. He was second in homer rate allowed at 0.89 per nine. He led all of the major leagues with a batting average against of .170 when pitching with runners in scoring position.

Cashner made his last O's spring start on Monday at Triple-A Norfolk. Over 3 1/3 innings he allowed four hits and two runs (one earned). He walked two and struck out six, with his ERA at 2.70 over 12 1/3 spring innings, which does not count simulated games.

After that start he pronounced himself very ready for this one.

"I feel good," he said at Harbor Park. "I feel like I've got four-plus pitches right now. Kind of figured some things out the other day with my slider. Feel like it will be a big pitch for me this season. Was locating sinkers both sides of the plate, trying to get a feel for the cold weather and trying to feel the baseball and all that. I really think I just figured it out (with my slider) in the last five days. For me, been throwing a cutter. The cutter is still pretty good, but I've finally found the balance point and release point with my slider."

Cashner's sinker is a big pitch for him, and he had a good one in Florida.

"You go to Arizona, you don't really have a chance to work on it because the balls don't really sink there. Feel like I've had a chance to work on my sinker all spring and I feel like I'm in the best place I've been in a long time. Right now, I'm in a good place mentally and physically. Been working on a lot of different stuff. Excited for the challenge of Minnesota."

Since 2013, Cashner has posted a 2.64 ERA in 66 home games, the sixth-best home ERA in the majors in that span. Last year for Texas he went 5-5 with a 2.72 ERA in 14 starts at Globe Life Park. That was the fifth-lowest home ERA in the American League in 2017.

Right-hander Kyle Gibson (12-10 with a 5.07 ERA in 2017) gets the start for the Twins. He got off to a terrible start last season and went 0-3 with an 8.06 ERA in five April starts. He allowed six homers over 22 1/3 innings.

For the season in 2017, Gibson made 29 starts. Over 158 innings, he allowed 182 hits with 60 walks and 121 strikeouts. Lefty batters hit .301 with an OPS of .832 against him and right-handed batters hit .282/.821.

Gibson is 2-2 with a 5.89 ERA in seven career starts versus the Orioles over 36 2/3 innings. In two 2017 starts versus Baltimore he was 1-1 with an ERA of 13.00.

Last season, the Orioles' Adam Jones went 3-for-6 versus Gibson, and all three hits were homers. He drove in seven runs off the right-hander. On this date in 2008, Jones played in his first game as an Oriole. He batted eighth and started in center in the 6-2 opening day loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

According to STATS, LLC., the O's eight consecutive opening day wins are tied for sixth all-time and rank first in Orioles history. The Orioles won seven straight from 1970-76. The Boston Beaneaters hold the major league record with 10 straight from 1887-1896.