Losers of 6 straight, Tigers hope Jackson Jobe can tame Rays

The Detroit Tigers’ bullpen failed Jackson Jobe in his last start. That didn’t diminish the fact that he’s quickly establishing himself as a fixture in the rotation.

Jobe will make his fourth start of the season in the middle game of a three-game home series against Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Jobe’s season debut was delayed until this month as he completed his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Prior to the injury, Jobe was the top pitching prospect in the organization.

He’s had two strong outings and one clunker since his return. After a poor performance against the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 14 (six runs and nine hits allowed in 3 2/3 innings), he limited Pittsburgh to one run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings on Wednesday.

Jobe (1-1, 4.50 ERA) gave up three walks while recording three strikeouts. Jobe’s fastball topped out at 100 mph but he also effectively mixed in his breaking pitches.

“That’s all Jackson,” catcher Dillon Dingler said. “He did a good job mixing it up a little more (Wednesday). He had good command of his stuff. And he started to get a feel for his other pitches, especially the sinker. That was a good little addition and it helped him get into some better counts.”

“I thought he got better as the game went along,” manager A.J. Hinch added.

Jobe departed with a 3-1 lead but the Pirates wound up winning 4-3 on a walkoff homer. Jobe pitched an inning of scoreless relief in his major league debut and lone appearance against the Rays in September 2024.

He’ll be opposed by lefty Ian Seymour (9-4, 4.17), who will be making his 12th start among 41 appearances this season. Seymour went six innings in each of his first three outings this month (all starts).

In his most recent start on Thursday, he went five innings against visiting Toronto, allowing three solo homers and striking out eight while throwing 90 pitches.

“He just made a couple of mistakes and they made him pay for it,” catcher Nick Fortes said.

Seymour has racked up 33 strikeouts in 23 innings this month. He’s posted a 3.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the season but is also vulnerable to the long ball, allowing 18 homers in 101 1/3 innings. The three homers he gave up against the Blue Jays were a season high.

“I thought Ian threw the ball fine,” manager Kevin Cash said. “I know he’s frustrated by the solo homers, but we can overcome solo homers, and generally speaking, we do.”

Seymour gave up three runs in two innings to Detroit on June 2 during a relief appearance at home.

Tampa Bay will head into Tuesday’s action with a 3 1/2-game lead in the American League East. The Rays used four pitchers to notch a 4-1 victory in the series opener on Monday. Jonathan Aranda drove in two of those runs, including a solo homer.

The Tigers will be looking to snap a six-game losing streak. They were held to five hits in their latest loss.

–Field Level Media