Griffin Jax holds Mariners to one run in victory

The Rays are expected to go with Mason Englert, either as a traditional starter or behind an opener for the second game of Friday’s doubleheader. Ian Seymour will then get the ball on Saturday and Shane McClanahan will start in Friday’s series finale.

Jax transitioned seamlessly into Tampa Bay’s rotation back in late April and hasn’t looked back. The 31-year-old recorded his first double-digit strikeout performance of the season, holding New York hitless into the fifth inning before coughing up a tie-breaking three-run homer to former Rays utility specialist José Caballero. He’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in six consecutive starts since June 7. He’ll close out the first half with a favorable home matchup against the Mariners on Saturday to wrap up a two-start week. Needless to say, he should be rostered in all fantasy formats at this juncture.

Jax and the Rays have now won seven straight. The 31-year-old right-hander did allow two homers, but surrendered just three other hits in the contest and didn’t give up a run after the third. He struck out five with no walks, and Jax has looked the part since being converted back into a starting role. There could be some regression coming, but it’s never been an issue of stuff with Jax. He’s scheduled to face the Astros over the weekend.

Jax was excellent here. His changeup was diabolical against this left-handed heavy Royals’ lineup forcing eight swings-and-misses and dancing off the edge of the plate all game long. He likely would’ve been able to polish off his first quality start of the season here as well if not for two errors by Rays’ defenders in the sixth inning that brought home both of Jax’s runs, forced him to work harder than he had to, and made that his final inning of work. Regardless, he still threw a season-high 88 pitches and has turned himself into a solid starting pitcher with a 2.40 ERA, 43 strikeouts, and just 13 walks over 45 innings since moving into the rotation. He’s scheduled for a two-start week coming up against the Royals and Astros with both starts coming on the road.

Jax struck out two of the first three batters he faced to start the game, but gave up a solo homer to C.J. Abrams to kick off the second inning, putting the Rays down 1-0. Jax would again fall victim to the long ball in the third inning, this time via a solo homer from Luis Garcia Jr. to push the Nationals’ lead to 2-0. Jax would settle after that, pitching two straight innings of scoreless ball while retiring the next seven batters he faced after the Garcia homer. This was the first time Jax had allowed an earned run since June 1st, when he allowed six earned runs against the Tigers. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday against the Royals.

Jax struck out five and walked none before departing after only 63 pitches. The bullpen then gave up seven runs over the following two innings. At some point, the Rays need to treat Jax as if he’s more than just a placeholder. He’s yet to throw more than five innings in a start, even though he’s been incredibly efficient. He has a 2.57 ERA in his nine starts, but he’s yet to win a game with all of the quick hooks; he hasn’t been allowed to work into the sixth in any of his turns.

Jax had only thrown 62 pitches through five, but manager Kevin Cash decided to pull him anyway. His season high was 72 in his last start, a disastrous 6 ER performance against the Tigers. Perhaps that factored into Tampa Bay’s quick hook, but it backfired as reliever Garrett Cleavinger immediately gave up the lead in the sixth. Jax will remain on the streaming radar for his next start, which lines up on the road against the Angels.

Jax ran into a buzzsaw in this one as Detroit came out in attack mode, tagging him for a whopping seven hits, including three home runs. He finished with five strikeouts and only issued one walk, which somewhat salvages the outing from a fantasy standpoint. It was a disappointing effort after allowing two earned runs or fewer in six straight outings since joining Tampa Bay’s rotation back on April 26. He’ll face the Marlins in a road matchup on Sunday to finish out a two-start week.

There was some initial concern that Jax would require a trip to the injured list after being struck by a 107-mph comebacker during last week’s start against the Orioles. However, initial imaging didn’t reveal any fractures and he’s been cleared to take the ball at Tropicana Field on Monday night. It’s a decent spot for streaming purposes in extremely deep mixed leagues since Detroit ranks 27th as a team in slugging percentage against right-handed pitching this season.

Jax appears to have avoided serious injury when he was struck in the lower back by a 107-mph line drive during Tuesday’s start against the Orioles. The 31-year-old appears on track to make his next start against the Tigers on Monday, but that won’t be made official until he completes his usual bullpen session between starts. There should be a defintive update on his status at some point this weekend.