O's game blog: The series begins in the Bronx

The Orioles have 18 games remaining in this truncated 2020 regular season. Their last playoff berth came in 2016, but this year they've got a shot to get back into what is an expanded eight-team American League field. The Orioles are pursuing the New York Yankees and the teams begin a four-game series with a doubleheader today at Yankee Stadium.

New York holds the No. 8 playoff spot right now in the AL, and here are the Yankees closest pursuers:

* New York (22-21)
* Orioles (20-22) are 1.5 games behind.
* Detroit (20-23) is 2.0 games behind.
* Seattle (19-24) is 3.0 games behind.

The Orioles took three of four from the Yankees last weekend in Baltimore, winning the last three games of that series by a 17-5 score. In those games the trio of Jorge López, Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer allowed just seven hits and four runs (one earned) over 16 1/3 innings for an ERA of 0.55.

The Yankees beat Toronto 7-2 Wednesday night and are two games behind the Blue Jays for second place in the AL East and a playoff spot that way. That win ended their five-game losing streak that began at Camden Yards. The Yankees have lost eight of their past 11 and 15 of the last 21 games. New York has lost four series in a row for the first time since June 2017.

In the opener, O's right-hander Alex Cobb (1-3, 4.33 ERA) rejoins the Baltimore rotation. He is making his first start since Aug. 29, when he gave up five runs in four innings against Toronto. Over his past three starts, Cobb is 0-2 with a 6.32 ERA.

In 18 career games he is 7-4 with a 2.92 ERA and 1.009 WHIP versus the Yankees. In seven career games at Yankee Stadium, Cobb is 2-2 with a 2.88 ERA and 0.910 WHIP.

Right-hander Gerrit Cole (4-3, 3.63 ERA) will make his 10th start in the opener, and New York is 5-4 in those outings. In two 2020 starts against Baltimore he is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA, allowing eight runs (four earned) in 12 2/3 innings. In four career starts against the Orioles, he is 1-1 with a 2.10 ERA.

Cole allowed three runs or more in nine of 33 starts last year, and has done that in five of nine starts this season. The Orioles put together a five-run sixth inning against him last Saturday as DJ Stewart homered, Ryan Mountcastle singled in two runs and Rio Ruiz added a two-run double.

Cole in his first six starts went 4-0 with a 2.75 ERA and gave up a .175 batting average. In his last three starts, Cole is 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA and .262 average and .951 OPS against. He has allowed 13 homers on the year, and his homer rate of 2.3 per nine innings is a career worst. Last year that mark was 1.2, and it is 0.9 in his career.

Akin (0-0, 2.08 ERA) will make his fifth appearance and third O's start tonight in the nightcap. Baseball America rates the lefty as the Orioles' No. 11 prospect, while MLBPipeline.com puts him at No. 13. Last year, he led the Triple-A International League in strikeouts (131) and became the first Tide to do so since right-hander Manny Hernandez in 1990. He was a mid-season All-Star and became the first Norfolk pitcher to start the Triple-A All-Star Game since 2005. He was the 2018 Double-A Eastern League Pitcher of the Year and finished the season ranked first in the league in wins (14) and strikeouts (142) and third in ERA (3.27). Then he shared the O's Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year award with left-hander Zac Lowther.

Akin threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Yankees last Saturday night. He did not get a decision because he left the game while it was still in a scoreless tie. In his two O's starts against the Blue Jays and Yankees, he has pitched 9 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and two unearned runs with six walks and 14 strikeouts. Akin allowed a .176 average in those games and the Orioles won both of them.

He is using his fastball 60 percent of the time, with an average velocity of 92.4 mph per Fangraphs.com. He has thrown his slider and changeup both at 15.7 percent and his curveball 8.5 percent.

Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (1-2, 3.38 ERA) makes the nightcap start for New York. He took the loss Sunday, allowing four runs (two earned) in 5 1/3 to the Orioles. In 16 career games he is 5-4 with a 3.70 ERA against Baltimore.

The Orioles' four-game win streak ended Wednesday night and they are 6-3 their last nine games. They are 10-7 on the road. Stewart has five homers his last four games. Mountcastle has two homers and nine RBIs his past five games.

Shortstop José Iglesias went 0-for-5 on Wednesday, but is hitting .376 through his first 26 games with the Orioles. Among players with at least 100 at-bats, Iglesias' .376 average leads the majors, while Washington's Juan Soto and Trey Turner rank second with a .359 average.

There will be just this one game blog today. So stay here with comments between games and during Game 2.