Rookie Jackson Jobe hasn’t been flawless this season, but he has been a good luck charm for the Detroit Tigers, who are undefeated in his eight starts.
Detroit will look for that streak to continue when it hosts the Cleveland Guardians for the second game of a four-game series on Friday.
Jobe (4-0, 4.12 ERA) had one of his best outings on Sunday, giving up two runs and six hits in six-plus innings at Toronto. The 22-year-old right-hander struck out five and walked two.
“There were innings where he was completely dominant, especially when we needed it,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “So for him to hang in there and stay in the game, get to 90 pitches, get through six innings and not have to go out and get him was a big reason we could set up the ‘pen the way we did.”
Jobe was elevated from Triple-A Toledo late last season and faced the Guardians once in the playoffs, giving up one run and three hits in 1 1/3 innings.
He will be opposed by Slade Cecconi (0-1, 5.40), who made his season debut against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. Returning from an oblique strain, Cecconi gave up three runs on five hits but struck out eight with no walks in five-plus innings.
“It was a mix of excitement and anticipation,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it was nervous energy. It was just a little bit of anxiousness because I’ve been thinking about this one for a while. My oblique issue happened way back in March, and ever since then, it’s been a buildup to this moment.”
Cecconi had his second start pushed back one night due to a rainout in Minnesota this week. He was acquired from Arizona in an offseason trade that sent Josh Naylor to the Diamondbacks.
Detroit will have to deal with Cecconi’s six-pitch mix: slider, sinker, four-seamer, curveball, cutter and changeup. Cecconi will be facing the Tigers for the first time.
The Guardians dominated the series opener on Thursday, blanking the Tigers 7-0. Cleveland’s starters have allowed two or fewer earned runs in 17 of the past 21 games, with the club going 12-9 over that span.
“We’re going to play them a lot,” Detroit catcher Dillon Dingler said. “It’s going to be big to get the upper hand on them these next few games. We’ve lost the first game of a series before. It’s going to be tough. That’s a good team. But, like I said, turn the page and move forward.”
Jose Ramirez continues to lead the Guardians’ offense. He extended his hitting streak to 15 games, the longest current streak in the majors, with two hits. He is batting .390 (23-for-59) during that stretch with seven multi-hit games.
With the victory, Cleveland moved into a three-way tie for second place (alongside the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals) in the American League Central. Detroit sits on top of the division.
“We play 162 games, and every time you play a divisional opponent, it’s a big series,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “We look at every game as a playoff game, no matter who we’re playing. We know who we’re playing, and they’re playing really well, so we’ve got to bring our ‘A’ game.”
–Field Level Media
