SAN FRANCISCO — About halfway into a top of the first inning that lasted nearly half an hour, Alex Cobb turned away from the rubber, took a couple strides toward second base and smacked his glove in frustration.
He was reacting to balking in another run — the fourth of five the Nationals would score in the first — but it was a culmination of tough luck and hard contact that ultimately spoiled his return to the rotation before he could record three outs in an eventual 11-5 loss that resulted in San Francisco dropping only its second series of the season.
By the time manager Gabe Kapler came to get him, after 10 batters and 40 pitches, with the bases loaded and two outs in the first inning, Cobb stared at his manager striding toward the mound and stoically handed him the ball without saying a word.
