Alex Cobb pitches well again in Angels’ victory over Astros

ANAHEIM — While astir of September has been astir sifting done the Angels’ young pitchers to spot which ones person a spot connected the squad successful 2022, there’s 1 feline astatine the different extremity of the property spectrum who is besides auditioning.

Except Alex Cobb is auditioning for each 30 teams.

Cobb gave up 1 tally successful 5-2/3 innings successful the Angels’ 3-2 triumph implicit the Houston Astros connected Thursday night.

Jack Mayfield, who has go a thorn successful the broadside of his erstwhile team, snapped a necktie with a sixth-inning two-run double. It came excessively precocious for Cobb to get the victory, but helium nevertheless continued his beardown decorativeness arsenic helium heads to the escaped cause market.

Cobb has allowed 1 tally successful 10-2/3 innings successful his 2 starts since coming backmost from a wrist wounded that outgo him astir 2 months. For the season, helium has a 3.46 ERA.

Cobb is surely upping his worth for the winter. Because he’ll beryllium 34 connected Oct. 7, he’s not apt to beryllium adjacent the apical of the starter class, but helium mightiness beryllium moving his mode up to a multiyear deal, oregon astatine slightest a much lucrative one-year deal.

When the Angels got him from the Baltimore Orioles successful December, it was fundamentally a wage dump.

The Orioles signed him to a four-year, $57 cardinal woody and helium pitched poorly capable – and was injured capable – that they were consenting to wage $10 cardinal of the $15 cardinal Cobb was owed successful 2021.

The Angels sent the Orioles inferior infielder Jahmai Jones, who has deed .164 with a .439 OPS successful 59 sheet appearances this twelvemonth with Baltimore.

Although Cobb had a 5.10 ERA with the Orioles, including a 4.30 people past year, the Angels were betting connected him performing amended successful a much pitcher-friendly situation and being a bully clubhouse presence.

Manager Joe Maddon knew what Cobb could do, connected the mound and successful the clubhouse, due to the fact that helium managed him during his champion years with the Tampa Bay Rays.

“I don’t cognize what the aboriginal holds for him oregon what his intentions are, but what you saw the past fewer times, that’s what I saw successful the past,” Maddon said. “It’s not similar it’s a lesser mentation that it’s beauteous overmuch the aforesaid version.”

Cobb said the reunion with Maddon is 1 of galore things he’s enjoyed astir astir his clip with the Angels.

“I person ever been a immense instrumentality of Joe,” Cobb said. “He gave maine my archetypal accidental astatine 23 and different accidental astatine 33. I person a ton of respect for him. I deliberation helium manages radical conscionable astir arsenic good arsenic anyone I’ve met successful this lifetime.”

Cobb added that helium adjacent enjoyed the Angels fanbase, which astatine times created “playoff intensity,” helium said.

Certainly, the Angels would person immoderate involvement successful bringing Cobb backmost successful 2022, but they’ll person to determine connected however overmuch they privation to walk connected him, knowing they besides request a frontline starter. Cobb besides volition beryllium coming disconnected a play successful which helium had 2 stints connected the injured list, limiting him to 17 starts and 88-1/3 innings, with possibly 1 outing left.

He said truthful acold there’s been nary substantive speech astir a return, but helium expects determination to beryllium astatine slightest immoderate conversation.

“I deliberation we’ve developed a bully capable narration to astatine slightest person casual speech and spot wherever each different are at,” Cobb said. “I don’t cognize what their plans are. I don’t cognize what my my plans are, but (GM Perry Minasian) and I person a bully capable narration to astatine slightest communicate.”

Cobb’s September connection truthful acold has travel against 2 playoff-bound teams, the Chicago White Sox and Astros. He retired the archetypal 10 hitters earlier an infield hit, a cleanable azygous and a locomotion got him into a bases-loaded jam successful the fourth.

Cobb struck retired Yuli Gurriel and got Carlos Correa connected a groundout to escape.

Although the Astros scored a tally against him successful the sixth to necktie the game, the Angels re-took the pb successful the bottommost of the inning connected Mayfield’s double.

Mayfield, who played for the Astros successful 2019 and 2020, deed a homer connected Tuesday and had a three-run treble connected Wednesday. He added different treble successful the eighth inning connected Thursday night.

Jason Castro deed a two-out solo location tally successful the ninth, but Raisel Iglesias struck retired 3 for his 33rd save, putting an extremity to the Angels’ six-game losing streak and eight-game location losing streak.