The Angels placed right-hander Alex Cobb on the 10-day injured list due to a blister on his right middle finger. The team specified that Cobb’s placement was retroactive to May 5th. In other news, outfielder Scott Schebler and right-hander Ben Rowen were both outrighted to Triple-A after being designated for assignment earlier this week.
Cobb was lined up to start on Monday, though The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya tweeted that Jose Suarez was scratched from his scheduled Triple-A start tonight, so Suarez could be in line for a call-up to fill Cobb’s place on Monday.
It’s been a hard-luck season for Cobb thus far, who has a 5.48 ERA through 21 1/3 innings but only a 3.24 SIERA. While Cobb has been hampered by a 9.8% walk rate, he also has a 30.4% strikeout rate that ranks in the 81st percentile of all pitchers. Cobb has a .431 BABIP and only a 60.1% strand rate, adding to his lack of good fortune.
The Angels as a whole rank last in baseball with a 66.2% strand rate and second-last (.317) in team BABIP. It probably isn’t much consolation to Anaheim fans who are frustrated with another season of subpar pitching from their club, and the Halos will take another blow if Cobb spends an extended amount of time on the IL. Blister issues can be unpredictable, though this is the first time that a blister problem has sidelined Cobb over his 10 MLB seasons.
Rsox
Surprising it’s taken this long
Halo11Fan
It’s only a blister. Did you expect him to make every start?
GaryWarriorsRedSox
Yes but blisters can be very serious. There’s not much you can do about them except for time to dry up and heal. I had one on the back of my foot, Bad shoe that just got worse and worse. Became an infected large cavity that would never heal up. Only thing I could do was stop playing. Changing shoes was too late.
Blisters can potentially be pretty hazardous. Imagine the pitching hand. How you going to grip the ball and throw if you got a blister in that spot?
KENNETH A LICHTIG
Angels pitching is imploding. Angel hitters are exploding. DO SOMETHING ARTE ABOUT YOUR PITCHING STAFF OR YOU’LL BE WATCHING OTHER AL TEAMS IN THE PLAYOFFS
ShootyBabbit
Who could have foreseen bargain-basement hunting for pitching, season after season, wouldn’t pay off? Who I ask you, who?
Halo11Fan
Hey #shooty nice article about the Angels pitching on fangraphs. I’m not sure you can read, but if you can give it a try. Your mommy might help you with the big words.
ShootyBabbit
will do, friendo
RyÅnWKrol
I read the article and it confirmed my gut feeling when I saw that the Angels’ FIP was only 3.95! Then I looked at where they ranked in K, BB, and HR. 2, 15, 4 respectively. So they’re striking everybody out, offsetting a ton of walks, which is basically a staff full of Nolan Ryan’s. And for the first time in about 10 years, they’re not giving HR’s. I don’t know how much you read about it in the offseason, but Perry Misanian’s approach was to get as many ground ball pitchers as he could with what is supposed to be one of the best defenses in baseball. That’s exactly what I’ve been saying the Angels should be doing for years. However, like the article says, I’ve been seeing the Angels play some of their worst defense since I first starting watching them in 1989. That’s has extended innings, which has contributed a lot to the inflated ERA’s on the staff against a 3.95 FIP. This kind of thing makes me wonder if defensive WAR should be re-evaluated. Because you have to catch the baseball as a team just as much if not more than you have to hit it hard.
MrAngelFan
I actually like 4/6 of the Angel’s rotation. I hope we can retain Bundy and Heaney. Both have pitched better than their records indicate. Heaney last outing was a gem only to be wasted by our disaster of a bullpen. Ohtani walks too many particularly when he is getting squeezed by the home plate umpire, but once he is rolling he is unhittable. Canning has won his last 2 starts and has looked better recently.
With the amount of homeless in downtown LA, are you going to tell me none of those bums are better than the 2 bums on the Angels, Cobb and Quintana.
The bullpen is a disaster though. Outside of Rodriguez and Watson, I don’t have much faith in any of the others.
Halo11Fan
As on queue, fletcher boots a ground ball. The defense has bee n awful. Great article on fangraphs. Starting pitching has not been this teams problem. Defense and the bullpen have been the biggest issues, in that order.
PutPeteinthehall
It’s Maddoning I’m telling you, just Maddoning…..
JoeBrady
Halo11Fan14 hours ago
Starting pitching has not been this teams problem.
=============================================
While the team’s starting itching might not be a problem, their starting pitching’s ERA, which easily the worst in the league, could be a problem.
Seattle is #14 with a 4.76.
LAA is #15 with a 5.20.
You can argue that the peripherals are slightly better, but it is still not a good pitching staff.
Halo11Fan
Angels starting pitching is not imploding. You people are clueless. Their ERA this month is 1.93. How is that imploding? Share your lack of baseball knowledge somewhere else.
JoeBrady
Per BR-In the AL:
Last 7 #14
Last 14 #10
Last 28 #13
Full season #15
amk1920
Should have actually tried to sign Bauer. The Angels don’t deserve Mike Trout with all the half measures they take to try and “fix” their pitching.
SashaBanksFan
Shock. A first time injury for someone that joins the Angels and they have loads of bad luck. This mixed with iffy decisions is a recipe for continued fan frustration and another year of Trout missing the playoffs.
greatgame 2
Too much illegal stickem on his fingers now trying to survive. Has been a good luck pitcher earlier but has been bad (8-24) and a high ERA for the past few years. Very overrated and extremely overpaid.
KENNETH A LICHTIG
Team ERA is 4.93 24th out of 30th. I wrote Angel pitching is imploding. Did not specify just Starting Pitching Halo11 Fan.
Halo11Fan
As I said, there is a good article on fangraphs, read it. And the starters have an ERA under 2 this month, the word imploding does not apply. Stabilizing maybe… not imploding.
KENNETH A LICHTIG
Last nights loss 14 to 11 Imploding pitching—exploding hitting
Ron Tingley
So.. we cut Albert Pujols and we replaced him Jon Jay? What?
baseballpun
Greg Garcia will be next.
Sealbeach Comber
Ron Tingley: “So.. we cut Albert Pujols and we replaced him Jon Jay? What?”
Jon Jay probably won’t demand playing time based on what he did in the past for the Cardinals.
Ron Tingley
Indeed but Mr. Jay is half the player. Put Walsh in right and call it a day. Let a legend finish out his contract we all cringed when he signed. Play Rojas everyday all over the field so he is getting full time at bats when the regulars need a day off, like the Dodgers do with Taylor. Did Albert really walk off the team bc of his lack of playing time? If he did then it’s a lower move than the Angels not cutting ties during the off-season. Go Angels!
GeoKaplan
None of us knows what was said in that meeting. But it is apparent a proud Pujols wasn’t interested in making a farewell tour of the AL. If he wasn’t happy as a bench player, the solution was to release him and give him the opportunity to sign on with another team which might afford him a starting role, even if I doubt that team exists since there still is no DH in the NL.
Sealbeach Comber
Ron Tingley: “Did Albert really walk off the team bc of his lack of playing time? If he did then it’s a lower move than the Angels not cutting ties during the off-season.”
He didn’t walk off the team. But he was DFA’d because he wouldn’t accept a reduced roll that would give Ohtani and Walsh more playing time. (Even though AP has been sub replacement level over the last six years).
bleacherreport.com/articles/10002238-angels-joe-ma…
Vizionaire
last place in the west. it’s not false just about everything has been horrible! f/o was more interested in appeasing 70+ year old manager than building a championship team. perry minasian has been a pergect fit for arte.
sell the team!
prov356
The Angels – 6th highest payroll, 5th worst record.
gorav114
“Blister issues can be unpredictable, though this is the first time that a blister problem has sidelined Cobb over his 10 MLB seasons.”
This is not true. I can’t recall if he’s ever been on the IR because of it but he’s definitely missed time as an Oriole because of blister issues. He also left several starts early due to the blister
BlueGreatDane
Was thinking the same thing. Definitely missed starts with blisters before.
Ron Tingley
He uses a split finger almost 50% of the time. The pressure! Go Angels!
seriouslysteve
Yup he had bad blister problems with the Orioles and had to miss a bunch of starts