Cobb's rebound start sets up Guards' sweep, 5th straight win

CLEVELAND -- What a difference five days makes.

On Friday, Alex Cobb walked off the mound with his head down after giving up a go-ahead, three-run home run to Matt Wallner that essentially cut Cleveland’s AL Central lead to 1 1/2 games.

On Wednesday night, the Trade Deadline acquisition walked off the mound at Progressive Field to cheers after 5 2/3 strong innings in the Guardians’ 6-1 win over the Cubs that completed a series sweep and a fifth straight victory that pushed Cleveland’s division lead back to 4 1/2 games over the Twins.

“One of the biggest outings of the year for us,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “We needed [Cobb] to go deep based off where the bullpen was. He was outstanding. That was a really, really big outing from him.”

Cobb, who was making his second start of the season after missing the first four months with hip surgery and shoulder nerve issues, was incredibly efficient against the Cubs. Not only was he able to get through 5 2/3 innings on just 80 pitches (50 strikes), but he only allowed three hits, generated three strikeouts and was able to get out of a first-inning jam with one of his patented ground-ball double plays.

Cobb, who pitched for the Giants in 2022 and ‘23, had a ground-ball rate of 59.8% over the past two seasons, which was the highest mark in the NL. He exited his second Guardians start with runners on second and third with two outs, but reliever Nick Sandlin got Cody Bellinger to line out to Josh Naylor to end the threat.

“You want to make sure he’s pitching the way he likes and sometimes it takes a little bit of time,” catcher Austin Hedges said. “I think we both learned a lot from that Minnesota outing, and I felt like we were really on the same page today and the results speak for itself.”

Wednesday’s start marked Cobb’s first at Progressive Field since he threw a complete-game five-hitter against Cleveland on Aug. 18, 2018, when he was a member of the Orioles. Five years prior, he introduced himself to the baseball world with 6 2/3 scoreless innings against Cleveland in the 2013 AL Wild Card Game.

Both of those starts resulted in Cleveland fans headed for the turnstiles upset with what was unfolding. On Wednesday, almost all of the 30,243 fans in attendance enjoyed their first opportunity to cheer on Cobb’s success.

“I don't think there's better fans than Cleveland,” Cobb said. “You can start to feel that excitement knowing that they have a good ballclub here. A series sweep seemed to excite them a little bit.”

The Guardians’ offense was ignited by second baseman Andrés Giménez, who went 3-for-4 with his second three-RBI game of the year. He’s now hitting .329 since July 25.

“He’s trying to drive the ball right now,” Vogt said. “When he’s at his best, he’s trying to drive the ball. He’s been huge for us. Two very clutch hits for us; that was the ballgame.”

Cobb’s start comes a day after Matthew Boyd allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings in his first MLB start in 414 days -- two positive developments for a team that’s spent most of the season searching for quality starting pitching.

It marked the first time two Cleveland starters had gone 5+ innings and allowed one run or fewer since Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee did it on May 18-19.

While two solid starts by Cobb and Boyd doesn’t change the fact that Guardians starters entered Wednesday with the second-lowest fWAR in MLB, it does provide hope that a unit that had been leaking oil for so long could be ready to get back on the road come October.

In 2022, Cobb and Boyd spent some time together in the Giants’ clubhouse while Boyd was rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon before being dealt to the Mariners. Now the two of them are finally at the top of their game with October on their minds.

“[Last night], I told him that I feel like I got to see both ends of the spectrum of his rehab,” Cobb said. “I know how difficult it is to come back from that surgery. And it's been nice to have a familiar face and to have somebody that you know is going through the same thing as you.”