DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers changed the start time for today’s game and called up baseball’s top pitching prospect.
It was already shaping up to be a busy week for the Tigers, as they control their own playoff destiny with just six games left in the season.
The Tigers passed the Minnesota Twins on Sunday for the third and final American League wild card spot. But the Twins own the tiebreaker, so the Tigers have to hang onto that one-game lead.
Tuesday’s game moved to afternoon
Luckily, they’ve got soon-to-be AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal taking the mound Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. First pitch was originally scheduled for 6:40 p.m., but because of the threat of rain, the game has been moved up to 1:10 p.m.
The last thing the Tigers want is to mess with Skubal’s routine or risk playing a double header on Wednesday or Thursday, which would take him off the table for the season finale.
Jackson Jobe called up
Detroit is also calling in some pitching reinforcement in the form of 22-year-old prospect Jackson Jobe.
Jobe, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft, is currently ranked as the No. 6 prospect in MLB and the league’s top pitching prospect.
Jobe dominated Double-A Erie this season across 73.2 innings, striking out 81 batters while posting a 1.95 ERA and 1.086 WHIP.
He struggled in his first Triple-A start and looked a little bit better in his second. The Tigers aren’t concerned about that small sample size, though.
Jobe joins a host of pitchers in the Tigers bullpen who are capable of going multiple innings.
Since Sawyer Gipson-Long has been on the injured list all season, the Tigers are asking for a commissioner’s exception that would allow them to put Jobe on the playoff roster, if they qualify.
Shelby Miller was designated for assignment to make room for Jobe on the 40-man roster.
