Longoria made a diving stop, but the winning run scored for Texas./CARMEN MANDATO
Saturday, 2 a.m.
When do you leave him in? When do you take him out?
And do you get blamed for both?
Rays' manager Kevin Cash was caught with two unacceptable answers Friday night, and it cost the team in a 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers. It was the second straight loss by the Rays, who are still trying to chase the Boston Red Sox.
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Alex Cobb thinks he should have gotten through the ninth./CARMEN MANDATO
Going into the ninth inning, Cash's team lead 3-1, and Alex Cobb was pitching wonderfully. He had a three-hitter going, and he had thrown only 96 pitches to the Rangers. Still, Cash usually leans toward his bullpen, but Alex Colome has been wobbly as of late.
So Cash left Cobb in, and in three pitches, the score was tied. Joe Gallo doubled sharply to right, and Shin-Soo Choo followed with a game-tying home run. The Rangers won it in the 10th when Elvis Andrus had an infield single to drive in pinch-runner Deli0a DeShields for the winning run.
“The way I saw it, after the second or third inning the hard contact went away,” said
Corey Dickerson ended a 77-at bat homeless streak./CARMEN MANDATO
manager Kevin Cash. “I was confident the way he was throwing the ball. He was super efficient the way he was throwing. I just had the confidence for him to go out and get three more outs for us. No slight to anyone in the bullpen, especially Alex Colome.”
It could have been Cobb's first complete game since 2014,
Cash said that he was probably going to Colome after Shoo if Cobb had gotten him out. Cash did not consider pulling him after the double by Gallo, however, which might have been the compromise decision. He could have let Cobb start the ninth, but could have pulled him after the first hit.
Cobb, who likes to go deep into games, wouldn't hear of any criticism of Cash.
Mallex Smith celebrates his second homer of the year./CARMEN MANDATO
“It's probably the most upset and angry I've been walking off the field in a long time,” Cobb said. “I was given an opportunity by Cash to go shut the door and didn't execute a few pitches in a row. It turned south quick.
“There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that I should be going back out there. Fortunately, Cash has a lot of faith in me. I feel bad that there is going to be a lot of blame on him, which is completely unfair. I should have been able to do a better job making him look like he made the right decision there.”
Cobb said he didn't think he should have been pulled after the double to Gallo, either. “If you're looking for the manager to come and get you, you shouldn't be out there,” he said.
The Rays scored all their runs on solo homers: Brad Miller, Corey Dickerson and Mallex Smith all went deep. But the Rays couldn't get a small ball run off of pitcher Yu Darvish. Dickerson had three hits.
The loss went to Brad Boxberger.
The Rays play the Rangers again tonight when Chris Archer pitches against Andrew Cashner.
Logan Morrison missed a pop fly in the eighth inning./CARMEN MANDATO
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