Paul Skenes, the guy who set “astronomic” standards in his first two years, is rocking a bloated 6.52 ERA over his last four outings, and the Detroit Tigers have a chance to take their rubber match against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday afternoon at PNC Park. This is a crucial game for two teams scratching to get their records turned around.
Jobe’s Rocky Road Back From Tommy John
The Tigers just couldn’t seal the deal on Tuesday night, falling 4-1 to the Pirates to even the series. Brett Callahan did smack his first major league home run, which was awesome, but that was literally all the offense. On the mound, Keider Montero was, well, “extremely mid,” as the source puts it. Now, for the series finale, it’s Jackson Jobe’s turn. The 24-year-old right-hander is making only his third start of the season after returning from Tommy John surgery. He looked good in his debut, which gave us some hope, but his last time out against the Chicago White Sox was rough. He coughed up six runs on nine hits, including two homers, plus a walk, striking out four over just 3 2/3 innings, taking the loss in a 9-5 defeat. His season ERA is sitting at 6.23 through 8.2 innings over two starts.
Skenes’ Unexpected Stumble
Facing Jobe for the Bucs is fellow righty Paul Skenes. He’s been “great” this season overall, absolutely. But here’s the kicker: he’s been “a tick below the astronomic” level he set for himself in his first two years. That’s a huge statement for a guy with his reputation. Dig into his last four outings since his last quality start and it gets wild: a 6.52 ERA along with a pretty mediocre 4.22 FIP over 19 1/3 innings. He’s allowed 20 hits, including three homers, issued 11 walks, hit a batter, and even thrown a wild pitch. That slump has personally cost him three losses, and the Pirates have lost four of those games. His overall record is 9-11 with a 3.88 ERA across 25 starts and 134.2 innings. This is not the dominant Skenes everyone expects, and it’s a massive opportunity for the Tigers bats to pounce.
So, it all comes down to Wednesday afternoon at 12:35 p.m. ET for Game 127. Jobe, fighting to prove he’s truly back from Tommy John, against a Skenes who’s trying to stop the bleeding on what was supposed to be another dominant season. The Tigers (61-65) and Pirates (62-66) are both scratching for every single win. With both starters showing recent vulnerability, this rubber match could be a wild ride, and every single at-bat matters.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bless You Boys.
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