Jackson

Jobe

Jobe has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 flexor strain and is facing a multi-week absence after experiencing a sharp drop in his velocity during Wednesday’s start against the Giants. No word yet on how long the Tigers expect him to be shelved for, but they’re obviously going to take every possible precaution before bringing him back. It’s possible he’s on the shelf until the early stages of the second half given the nature of the injury. There should be some clarity on his return timeline at some point in the coming weeks, depending mostly on when he’s able to resume throwing.

There have been rumblings that his arrival could coincide with Jackson Jobe landing on the injured list with arm soreness, though that has yet to be confirmed. Smith, 25, has been extremely impressive in 16 appearances between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo this season, compiling a 1.61 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and a 32/8 K/BB ratio over 22 1/3 innings. He’ll add another weapon to an already deep and talented Tigers’ bullpen.

The velocity drop alone might not be reason for panic, but Jobe didn’t talk to reporters after the game and wasn’t seen in the clubhouse. According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers even closed the clubhouse early in violation of MLB regulations. If something is wrong with Jobe, the Tigers could move Brant Hurter into the rotation or maybe give Dietrich Enns a try.

The 22-year-old right-hander walked two and struck out three on the evening. All of the damage done against him came in the opening inning as Jose Ramirez smacked an RBI triple and scored on an infield single off the bat of Carlos Santana. Jobe settled in nicely afterwards though and finished his day with four scoreless frames to keep his team in it. He got 11 whiffs on 89 pitches on the night — seven of those on his changeup — while posting a CSW of 31 percent. It’s the first time in 10 career starts that the Tigers have lost a game in which Jobe started. He’ll attempt to get back in the win column as he totes a 4.06 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and a 35/24 K/BB ratio (44 1/3 innings) into Wednesday’s battle against the Giants.

Jobe gave up six hits, walked two and struck out five. The 22-year-old right-hander’s exceptional stuff was on display again Sunday as he struck out Bo Bichette with a 97 mph sinker that had 19 inches of arm-side run. Jobe has now won back-to-back starts and completed six innings for the second time in eight starts Sunday. He’s lined up to face the Guardians at home next weekend.

Detroit’s offense supplied Jobe with a more than a touchdown and an extra point’s worth of run support by the conclusion of the third inning, which enabled him to cruise into the middle innings. He took a shutout into the sixth before Wilyer Abreu connected for a solo homer and was lifted with two outs in the frame at exactly 100 pitches (61 strikes) after issuing his fifth walk of the contest. The 22-year-old top prospect turned in one of the more bizarre pitching lines of the year in an effectively wild outing where he struggled to throw strikes, but was able to generate 15 swinging strikes. He’ll bring a respectable 4.32 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 27/20 K/BB ratio across 33 1/3 innings into a road tilt on Sunday against the Blue Jays.

The pitching matchup between two young potential aces in Jobe and Chase Dollander saw both starters allow six runs. Jobe allowed eight hits, and two of those hits were homers; both of the two-run variety. The 22-year-old gave up just six runs in his four starts in April with a 2.70 ERA, so hopefully this is just a blip on the radar in a tough stadium to pitch in. Jobe gets the Red Sox with a chance to rebound Monday.

It’ll be made up on Thursday as a doubleheader. It’s a tough break for fantasy managers as it eliminates one of the most exciting pitching matchups from Tuesday’s slate featuring former top pitching prospects Jackson Jobe and Chase Dollander. They’ll presumably take the ball for Wednesday’s single contest, but it’s entirely possible they’ll be pushed back to Thursday’s twin bill.

Jobe was given seven runs to work with in the first three innings today and had a 7-1 lead going to the fifth, but he fell short of his third win. The bottom of the fifth opened with a walk, a single and a two-run double, at which point Jobe was pulled. Braden Hanifee took over and stranded the runner, preventing further damage to Jobe’s ERA. Jobe ended up allowing four hits, walking four and striking out four. He has a 3.38 ERA after five turns, but the 18/14 K/BB in 24 innings is thoroughly unimpressive. He’ll likely make his next start Tuesday or Wednesday in Coors Field, and he doesn’t seem like a great mixed-league option then.

Detroit has ostensibly skipped Jobe’s turn through the rotation, giving him a whopping 12 days off between outings, in an effort to manage his season-long workload. They’re basically rolling with a six-man rotation with Keider Montero helping gobble up innings as needed. The 22-year-old, who holds a strong 2.70 ERA through four starts this season, is healthy and in line to take the ball for Wednesday’s afternoon’s matinee at Daikin Park in Houston.