Cobb gets the start for Orioles in series opener against Twins
Minnesota Twins (9-7, second in the AL Central) vs. Baltimore Orioles (8-12, third in the AL East)
Baltimore; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Twins favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Baltimore and Minnesota are set to begin a three-game series.
The Orioles are 1-6 on their home turf. The Baltimore pitching staff as a whole has an ERA of 5.93. Andrew Cashner leads the team with a 4.97 ERA.
The Twins are 4-3 on the road. Minnesota has slugged .466, good for third in in the MLB. Jorge Polanco leads the team with a .717 slugging percentage, including 10 extra-base hits. This is the first meeting of the season for these two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Trey Mancini leads the Orioles with 12 RBIs and is batting .338. Dwight Smith Jr. is 11-for-38 with four doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games for Baltimore.
Eddie Rosario leads the Twins with six home runs and is batting .262. Polanco has 13 hits and is batting .382 over the last 10 games for Minnesota.
LAST 10 GAMES: Orioles: 3-7, .212 batting average, 6.03 ERA, outscored by 24 runs
Twins: 5-5, .262 batting average, 4.81 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs
Orioles Injuries: Nate Karns: 10-day IL (forearm), Alex Cobb: 10-day IL (lumbar strain), Richard Bleier: 10-day IL (lat), Chris Davis: day-to-day (illness), Mark Trumbo: 60-day IL (knee).
Twins Injuries: Addison Reed: 10-day IL (thumb), Gabriel Moya: 10-day IL (shoulder), Matt Magill: 10-day IL (shoulder), Miguel Sano: 10-day IL (heel).
