Last night, Alex Cobb was cruising along for the Tampa Bay Rays. Through eight innings, he had held the Texas Rangers to just one run on three hits, that run coming on a mistake he made to Elvis Andrus in the first inning. From that point on, Cobb was dominant, breezing through the Rangers lineup.
With the Rays holding to a 3-1 lead, manager Kevin Cash had a decision to make. Alex Colome was ready in the bullpen, prepared to get those final three outs needed to ensure victory. However, Cobb had only thrown 96 pitches, and had topped that mark in each of his last six outings.