Rays starting pitcher Alex Cobb has struck out 52 batters in 53 innings, resulting in a career-high 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings. But the right-hander said Monday he's not trying to get strikeouts and isn't confident his strikeout rate will remain this high.
"I'm trying to attack the zone," Cobb said, per MLB.com. "Once I get to two strikes, then I'm trying to put guys away. I don't think I'm striking out too many guys. I'd obviously rather get balls put into play earlier in the count, put it on the ground. But when it doesn't go that way, you have to improvise and try to get the guy out to the best ability. Once there are two strikes, I try to put them away. It's just going that way right now. It won't be like that later in the year."