Jonny Venters makes MLB return after long absence, Rays beat Orioles to extend winning streak
BALTIMORE (AP) -- On a night in which Alex Cobb was treated poorly by his former teammates, the Tampa Bay Rays welcomed their newest member with pride and compassion.
Joey Wendle had three hits and two RBIs, Adeiny Hechavarria homered and Tampa Bay beat Cobb and the Baltimore Orioles 8-4 Wednesday night.
The game marked the return of left-hander Jonny Venters following a six-year absence and four major elbow operations, including three Tommy John surgeries. After being recalled from Triple-A Durham earlier in the day, the 33-year-old Venters used four pitches to retire Chris Davis -- the only batter he faced -- on a grounder in the sixth inning.
Before walking onto the field, Venters acknowledged it was "an emotional day." After he got there, those feelings intensified.
"It hit me once I got in the dugout and looked around and soaked it all in. It was overwhelming," Venters said. "But once I got out there, it was just like pitching again. I'm glad it went well and got that first one behind me."
Cobb, meanwhile, received a rude greeting from the Rays in his first appearance against them since joining the Orioles as a free agent in March following a six-year run in Tampa Bay.
Denard Span ripped a double on Cobb's first pitch of the night, and the right-hander exited during a four-run fifth inning after allowing five runs and 10 hits.
"There's no excuses. There's things that are off on my end," Cobb said. "Nothing changed there in that game other than me faltering a bit toward the end and them capitalizing."
In his three starts since signing a four-year, $57 million contract with Baltimore, Cobb (0-3) has yielded 17 runs and 30 hits.
Chance Sisco homered and newcomer Jace Peterson had two RBIs for the Orioles, who have lost 10 of 11.
The Rays have won five in a row, scoring at least eight runs in its last four games.
A steady rain began to fall in the fifth inning, and that's when Tampa Bay began pelting Cobb with hits to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 lead. C.J. Cron doubled in two runs , Brad Miller delivered a sacrifice fly and Wendle added an RBI single.
Sisco connected off starter Jake Faria in the bottom half, but Hechavarria restored the two-run cushion with a solo shot in the sixth.
Rookie Andrew Kittredge (1-2) got two outs in the fifth to earn his first major league win.
STAT PACK
Baltimore's Anthony Santander snapped an 0-for-12 skid with a second-inning double. ... Wendle had his sixth multihit game of the year, including three in a row. ... Adam Jones hit two doubles and now has 556 extra-base hits as an Oriole, one short of tying Boog Powell for fifth place on the team list.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: INF Matt Duffy (right hamstring strain) could be activated from the DL on Friday, Cash said. ... RHP Nathan Eovaldi, who underwent surgery on March 30 to remove loose pieces of cartilage from his elbow, has had a "pretty remarkable" recovery so far, Cash said, though no timetable has been set for his return.
Orioles: INF Tim Beckham (groin) was placed on the 10-day disabled list. Beckham must decide whether to have surgery, which would likely fix the problem but force him to miss at least six weeks. ... DH Mark Trumbo (quad strain) went 0 for 4 with Double-A Bowie but is edging closer to returning. "He feels good," manager Buck Showalter said.
UP NEXT
Rays:Chris Archer (1-1, 6.59 ERA) starts the series finale Thursday night. Archer has yielded at least one HR in five straight games.
Orioles:Dylan Bundy (1-2, 1.42 ERA) has given up five earned runs in his five starts and limited the opposition to a .220 batting average.
