Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
There have been good and bad times already this season for the Tampa Bay Rays. Ups and downs have been a solid part of their season and their record shows a clear tendency for the team to continue on a downward trend on numerous occasions. There cannot be a worst feeling in the world for a successful starting pitcher than that of knowing his team is not going to win ballgames that he throws. Alex Cobb has two tendencies for the Rays. He both has to deal with the realization that his team likely won’t heal from this back and forth play, he also has to keep himself from developing into an up and downer all the while.
This process will turn Cobb into an ace starter but it also will label him as someone who can’t get a few more outs to secure a win for his team. That label is ridiculous of course and some of the blame for every single loss any pitcher carries must fall on the rest of the team. Rarely is that pointed out however and it is just the ace pitcher’s job to throw a shutout every time he toes the rubber. Another problem with having ace type numbers for a less than good team is that now Cobb is looked at the stopper.
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That doesn’t mean that he is the team’s new closer in waiting. Clearly it means that a team slides repeatedly into his starts on a losing skid and with the thought that Cobb will once again come through. He might very well come through but the team also needs to step up and come through for him. The fact that he has emerged as a superstar caliber pitcher this season is something he deserves full credit for. The reason he isn’t being talked about as one of the top pitchers in the major leagues is something the team deserves a lot of blame for and not Cobb. I guess at the end of the day it could be worse for Cobb than being considered the ace of a staff in his first big breakout season.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.
