BALTIMORE -- One of the highlights in a rocky second half for the Orioles has been watching Alex Cobb return to form after a tough start to the season. Cobb, the O's big free agent prize who signed a four-year deal this spring, has been the Orioles' best starter since July. He's one of the few players with Baltimore that has kept improving as the team sold away pieces, as he currently holds a 2.56 second-half ERA.
Unfortunately, he didn't get much chance to better that mark on Tuesday. The 30-year-old Cobb, who had Sunday's start pushed back to manage a blister, seemed to succumb to the frustrating abrasion on his right middle finger after just two innings in the 3-2 series-opening loss to the A's.