Showalter pregame on Cobb, Sisco and more (game update)

HOUSTON - Orioles right-hander Alex Cobb is inching closer to his first game action for the Orioles. He threw his latest bullpen session yesterday in Florida.

He has thrown a pair of simulated games, one for three innings and his second for four innings. That last outing was a 48-pitch effort last Friday. His next game in Florida will be on Wednesday.

"The decision will be made after his workday following that start whether he'll pitch (his next start) for us or wait another turn," manager Buck Showalter said this afternoon. "We did get some approval on the baseball, not in the Eastern League but we could use those baseballs in extended spring. I talked to Alex today, he felt really good. That was good to hear."

The balls used in minor league baseball are different in the stitching than those used in the majors. The O's want Cobb to use MLB balls while on the farm.

The veteran right-hander must be placed on Double-A Bowie's roster on April 9, but he probably won't pitch in an Eastern League game because of that situation with the baseballs. So the soonest he would start for the Orioles would be April 9 versus Toronto. If not then possibly on April 14.

Showalter had little to say today about Chance Sisco's bunt against the shift in the ninth inning yesterday. The Minnesota Twins reaction has clearly bothered the Orioles, but they seem more than ready to move past that at this point.

"Turn our attention here," Showalter said. "It's one of those things, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Ours is obviously completely different. I just don't know where it's going to end. Are you not allowed to throw changeups when you get 6-0 ahead. Where does it stop?"

Showalter said Mark Trumbo took batting practice today in Sarasota and that went well. He's on the DL with a grade two strain of his right quad. Trumbo could play in an extended spring game on Friday. He hasn't played for the Orioles since March 14 against the Yankees.

Showalter was asked why he selected Mike Wright Jr. to be his fifth starter for tomorrow's game here? He had other options.

"I think he deserves the opportunity," Showalter said. "He had a pretty good spring. I think Mike has earned that right. We think right now Miguel (Castro) helps us a lot in the bullpen. We think trying to break in Rule 5 guys and looking at the matchup with these guys. Think Nestor (Cortes Jr.) we just wanted to get him off right and understand where he is with his experience level and push him forward without going form zero to 100 right away. Obviously Alex is going to join us before long. We hope Mike pitches real well and we're looking for a way to take advantage of what he's doing."

Showalter notices everything as Orioles fans well know and today he was looking around Minute Maid Park trying to see if anything was different from the last time he was here.

A Houston reporter mentioned the two covered banners atop the left-field wall. Those are the World Series banners that will be unveiled to the home crowd tonight.

"I'll bet they do (have new banners)," he said. "I'd have more than two. I'd have the whole dugout decorated with them."

Astros get early lead: After the Orioles went down 1-2-3 in the first tonight against right-hander Charlie Morton, Houston took a 1-0 lead two batters into the first inning. George Springer and Alex Bregman doubled as the Astros went ahead 1-0. Bregman is now 4-for-4 in his career versus Chris Tillman with two homers and a double.

Houston hit the ball hard over the first two innings, but stranded four runners versus Tillman, whose fastball sat in the 89 to 91 mph range. The Orioles left the bases loaded in the second when Caleb Joeph lined out to end the threat.

Houston's Carlos Correa came out of this game after the second inning with discomfort in his left big toe. J.D. Davis replaced him and went to first base with Marwin Gonzalez moving from first to shortstop.

Jonathan Schoop doubled with two outs in the third but was stranded there when Adam Jones bounced out versus Morton to end that inning.

The lead grows: After Tillman pitched a strong 1-2-3 third, Houston scored three in the fourth inning for a 4-0 lead. That inning featured a Gonzalez leadoff homer, a Derek Fisher RBI triple and a Springer bloop RBI single. Through the fourth tonight, O's starters have allowed 15 runs over 13 innings the last three games.

The O's didn't score in the fifth and now have gone 26 innings on the year versus opponent starting pitchers with zero runs.

Tillman is out: He walked the leadoff batter in the fifth and came out. So his final line shows four innings plus one batter. He gave up seven hits and four runs, with four walks and no strikeouts on 84 pitches.

Still scoreless: Jose Altuve's RBI double off Miguel Castro gave Houston a 5-0 lead in the sixth. Right-hander Brad Peacock replaced Morton after he threw six scoreless. Opponent starters have thrown 27 scoreless innings allowing eight hits on the year against the O's.

Final: Astros 6, Orioles 1. The O's fall to 1-3 and have been outscored 19-3 in the last 3 games, being held to 12 hits in that span.