Cobb surrenders three early home runs in 6-0 loss in opener

The Orioles headed to the ballpark this afternoon looking up at the Yankees, who were 1 1/2 games ahead of them for the last playoff spot in the American League. They glanced back and saw the Tigers, who trailed them by a half-game.

A tight squeeze for a team that wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the race.

The temptation to check the standings in the second week of September provides a strong dose of perspective, no matter how it turns out for the Orioles. They aren't sitting in the bottom of their division. They aren't spectators in the chase.

They've just stumbled a bit.

Alex Cobb came off the injured list earlier today and surrendered three home runs among his first 17 pitches, the Orioles didn't get a hit until the fifth inning and the Yankees cruised to a 6-0 victory in the Bronx.

A second consecutive defeat lowered the Orioles' record to 20-23 as they ready for the second game of the doubleheader.

Leadoff hitter DJ LeMahieu homered on a split-changeup, Luke Voit singled and Brett Gardner jumped on a poorly located four-seam fastball for a 3-0 lead.

Mike Tauchman began the second inning with a single and Kyle Higashioka lifted another fastball to left field. Ryan Mountcastle ran out of room and the Yankees bolted to a 5-0 lead after only eight batters.

"I thought they came out swinging the bat extremely aggressive and put some runs up right away," said manager Brandon Hyde. "They hit a lot of balls hard the first couple of innings and just didn't seem like he could get in any kind of rhythm. I don't know if the long layoff or whatever it may be might have affected him, but he just didn't get in a good rhythm early. The last couple innings were pretty good, but the first couple innings, just a tough time staying off their barrel."

The Yankees hadn't hit a home run with a man on base since Aug. 31, settling for 10 solo shots in the last 10 games. Cobb allowed only five home runs in his first seven starts.

Gerrit Cole didn't retire the first 11 batters, as he did Saturday in Baltimore. Mountcastle reached on an error leading off the second and walked with two outs in the fourth.

Hanser Alberto lined a single into right field with two outs in the fifth and the asterisk was kept in storage. The Orioles had a hit. And another stranded runner after Pat Valaika grounded to Cole.

Asked about his team's at-bats, Hyde said, "I don't put much stock in our at-bats. I think it was Gerrit Cole. He had everything going."

Cole wouldn't have been the eighth pitcher to no-hit the Orioles because of the new seven-inning rule for doubleheaders. The game needed to go at least nine innings to become official. But he did go the distance today and allowed only two hits, including Renato Núñez's single with two outs in the seventh.

The Mariners' Hisashi Iwakuma was the most recent pitcher to legitimately no-hit the Orioles on Aug. 12, 2015 at Safeco Field.

The others:
Bo Belinsky (Angels), May 5, 1962 at Dodger Stadium
Nolan Ryan (Angels), June 1, 1975 at Anaheim Stadium
Juan Nieves (Brewers), April 15, 1987 at Memorial Stadium
Wilson Alvarez (White Sox), Aug. 11, 1991 at Memorial Stadium
Hideo Nomo (Red Sox), April 4, 2001 at Camden Yards
Clay Buchholz (Red Sox), Sept. 1, 2007 at Fenway Park

José Iglesias was robbed today leading off the fourth on Clint Frazier's lunging catch in right field. He broke up Cole's no-hit bid last weekend with a double in the fourth.

Gardner led off the third with a single and was thrown out trying to steal. Gleyber Torres walked with two outs and Gary Sánchez struck out for the 51st time in 109 at-bats.

Pedro Severino threw out Gardner twice on stolen base attempts - his first two successes of the season.

Cobb, working on 12 days' rest, struck out three batters in the fourth and stranded Tauchman at second base. Thomas Eshelman warmed twice and didn't get into the game until the top of the fifth, with Cobb at 60 pitches.

The leash on Cobb was shorter than advertised. He allowed five runs and seven hits with five strikeouts in four innings and exited with a 5.03 ERA.

Cobb said he's still battling a cold and had to go on the IL as a precaution due to COVID-19. He went through the intake process, testing negative seven or eight times, to make certain that his symptoms subsided.

"The way we're operating this year, if you have any type of symptoms you have to proceed like you have COVID and try to stay away from everybody," he said. "Even if it's not COVID, even a common cold, if I pass it on to the rest of my team, they'll have to sit out and wait and get cleared and make sure they don't have it. So you just have to be away. It's unfortunate. It's definitely something you would show up every day during a regular season and keep getting work in and kind of stay sharp. May or may not pitch taht day, the way I was feeling, but you definitely wouldn't be away from the team as long as I was.

"I understand it, too. I had to pass a lot of COVID tests and make sure it wasn't that and had to make sure some symptoms subsided before I could return."

Cobb played catch in a park during his inactive period and got in a bullpen session leading into his start, which failed to meet his expectations.

"I don't think (the three home runs) were necessarily, like, great pitches, but definitely good swings were put on them," he said. "I didn't think they were home runs. I don't know if the wind was blowing out to left a litlte bit or not. I thought LeMahieu's was just a lazy fly ball, maybe get to the warning track at the deepest, but they just kept going. They weren't necessarily great pitches, but I didn't think the swings were home run-worthy."

Tauchman's bloop single in the sixth scored Torres, who reached on a bloop double. The Yankees had runners on second and third base with no outs and Eshelman stranded them.

Eshelman threw 41 pitches and is a candidate to be optioned after the nightcap. The Orioles need to make a roster move.

Or Eshelman could remain a swingman and earn a later start.

Chris Davis is in the lineup for the second game.

Cedric Mullins CF, Jose Iglesias SS, DJ Stewart RF, Ryan Mountcastle LF, Rio Ruiz 2B, Renato Nunez DH, Hanser Alberto 2B, Chris Davis 1B, Chance Sisco C. Keegan Akin LHP