Joey Wendle had three hits and two RBIs, Adeiny Hechavarria homered and the Tampa Bay Rays beat former teammate Alex 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.

Venters then received a warm greeting in the Tampa Bay dugout, which seemed to be the perfect end to what the 2011 All-Star earlier called “an emotional day.”

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Cobb, meanwhile, was treated rather rudely by 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 in the fifth inning after allowing five runs and 10 hits.

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.

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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.

Trainer’s room

Rays: INF Matt Duffy (right hamstring strain) could be activated from the DL on Friday, manager Kevin 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.

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Rays Rough Up Former Teammate Cobb in 8-4 Win Over Orioles