Since at least early June, Alex Cobb has been taking the mound with pain in his hip. He’s pitched a 131–pitch near no-hitter and his first All-Star game since the discomfort began. At various times during his starts, he’d grimace and reach for his hip.
Cobb, 35, received a cortisone shot for his hip this week to relieve pain and inflammation. He played catch on Friday before San Francisco’s series opener against the Rockies and plans to throw a bullpen on Saturday with his sights set on a Monday start — one day after his scheduled start day.
“The fact that I’ve been able to throw with it this whole year, I think the cortisone shot can only help,” Cobb said.
With the Giants (70-70) at .500 for the first time since June 10 and on the outside of the National League playoff picture, it’s safe to expect Cobb to keep pitching as long as the Giants are within striking distance. He showed as much by taking the mound five days after his most taxing start ever last week. Everyone in the Giants clubhouse knows that this is the time for urgency, and their next 10 games against non-playoff contenders could determine their ultimate fate.
“Hopefully things go well for us in the next couple days,” Cobb said. “We have 10 days. I feel like we have a really good home stand to take advantage of, to get back to where we want to be. We’ll look at that.”
If things go south for the Giants in this current stretch, it probably wouldn’t make sense to push Cobb further as his hip impingement persists. He described the pain as something that gets progressively worse as a game goes on.
Cobb, one of two All-Stars on the Giants this year, has a 5.10 ERA in the second half compared to a 2.91 mark in the first half. The hip injury has almost certainly played a factor.
After Cobb’s 131-pitch gem in which he lost his no-hit bid on the last out, the veteran said there wasn’t much debate about whether he’d require an extra day between starts.
“There wasn’t much discussion,” Cobb said. “I think everybody knows what time of year it is.”
Manager Gabe Kapler’s job is to make decisions that are both right for his individual players and the team overall. For a player like Cobb, who might push himself despite pain, that requires attentive listening.
“With a guy who has that much track record during his (spikes) experience in big games, experience in managing his body — you just take a lot of cues from Alex,” Kapler said. “What is he ready for? What is he capable of? And then you have to listen carefully. Because you’re right: he doesn’t want to come off the mound, he doesn’t want to give up the baseball. But he’s saying other things that help us make good decisions on his behalf, and we have to listen to those other things.”
Those “other things” Cobb is saying as he continues to deal with his hip impingement: as long as the Giants are in contention, he’ll keep competing.
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- The Giants are riding a six-game losing streak, which matches their worst of the season. Since Aug. 5, they’re 9-21 — tied for the third-worst winning percentage in MLB in that stretch.
With Arizona’s afternoon win in Chicago, the Giants are three games out of a wild card spot.
“I see it as a great opportunity,” Kapler said. “And I think you guys know me well enough to know that it’s really all about how we keep bouncing back and keep getting up off the mat. Continuing to fight. The adage ‘this is a marathon, not a sprint,’ is in place for a really good reason, which is: you’re going to go through really bad times over the course of a Major League season, unless you have one of those magical seasons, which this hasn’t been. We’re fine. We’re in a good spot.”
- With Patrick Bailey on the 7-day concussion IL, Joey Bart is back in San Francisco for the first time since early May. Kapler said the improvements the embattled catcher made include regulating his emotions, preparing for game-calling and working with pitchers, and slowing the game down.
For Bart, he’s maintained a mindset that he displayed in spring training, when the deck was publicly stacked against him in a catcher competition.
“It’s been great, honestly, man,” Bart said when asked of the mental challenges of this year. “I’ve been getting in my work, getting after it. Being where my feet are. You can look at it one way or another, you know what I’m saying? (I) always keep looking to improve and move forward.”
- Ross Stripling (mid-back strain) threw a bullpen on Friday and told reporters that he feels good enough to pitch.
Given Stripling’s 5.29 ERA and struggles keeping the ball in the park, the Giants probably won’t rush him back from the injured list.
Outfielder Michael Conforto, meanwhile, could be a day or two away from returning from his hamstring injury. The Giants will likely want to fast track him given their offensive struggles.