Colorado Rockies rookie right-hander Gabriel Hughes possesses an ugly stat line, but he showed his potential in his last start.
Hughes will try to build off that effort in the finale of a three-game road series against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon.
Hughes (0-7, 5.81 ERA) held the New York Yankees to two runs (one earned) over five innings on Tuesday in a 5-3 loss. He didn’t issue a walk while striking out six at Yankee Stadium.
“Gabe was excellent (Tuesday). He pounded the zone,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “His stuff was sharp. The spin was good. The curveball, sweeper and slider were all good. … It was very impressive.”
Hughes’ solid outing coincided with the return of Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. Hughes retired Judge twice, including on a first-inning strikeout.
“The crowd is going crazy. I’m not making a big deal about it, knowing we had a plan before the game. If I stick to the plan, I’m going to get myself a good chance,” Hughes said. “I fell behind (Judge) in the first at-bat before coming back. Then he hits a fly ball to center field, and the crowd goes nuts. I was glad to see Cole (Carrigg) get under it.”
Hughes held Baltimore to one run over 4 2/3 innings in his first September start. He posted a 10.03 ERA in five August outings, going 0-3.
The 6-foot-4 Hughes will face the Tigers (69-79) for the first time. He’ll oppose right-hander Jackson Jobe (1-2, 4.45 ERA), who also is coming off a five-inning start. Jobe gave up two runs to Cleveland last Sunday while recording a season-high seven strikeouts.
The Guardians sent seven men to the plate in the first inning but left the bases loaded as Jobe set down the last two batters. The 24-year-old then settled in.
Cleveland eventually won 3-2 on a walk-off hit in the 10th inning.
“His in-game adjustment was clearly the best part of the day,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of Jobe. “He did a good job of staying in the game when he could’ve been out of it early.”
Jobe threw 93 pitches, due to his penchant of falling behind in the count.
“It was just more mental,” he said. “Just being a bit more aggressive early in the count, trying to get in the zone with the first pitch. I did a better job toward the back end of the outing. But even in the inning I punched the side (the second), I started behind on every hitter. I’m one of the worst pitchers in the league right now in getting ahead. It’s pretty easy to identify what I need to do to really unlock my full potential.”
Jobe’s start against the Rockies (55-93) will be his seventh since recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery. He’s faced them once early last season, when he was roughed up for six runs in 3 2/3 innings.
The Tigers will look for a three-game series sweep. They rallied from a three-run deficit in the eighth inning for an 11-7 triumph on Saturday. Hao-Yu Lee led the comeback with a leadoff double and finished it with a two-run triple.
Hunter Goodman’s three-run homer was a highlight for the Rockies, who have lost six straight games.
–Field Level Media
