CINCINNATI — The excellent news is Jared Jones is OK, even when he did give loads a scare within the fifth inning.
With the pitch timer operating down within the fifth inning at Nice American Ball Park on Saturday afternoon, Jones “panicked and lobbed the baseball in there” to Reds batter Ty France. These watching simply noticed an 84 mph slider, which prompted a visit to the mound from supervisor Derek Shelton and assistant athletic coach Tony Leo, who after a dialog with the rookie pitcher, let him end the fifth inning. Whereas his velocity was not on the similar ranges now we have seen from him this season, it did tick again as much as the 93-95 mph vary, which is inside his regular velocity variance.
“If there was any thought that there was any harm, we might have made certain we obtained him out of there,” stated Shelton.
“I am high quality,” Jones confirmed. “There is not any harm.”
That’s the excellent news for Jones. The unhealthy information for him is that Saturday was one in every of his roughest outings of the yr, permitting a pair of residence runs and a season-high matching six earned runs in a 7-1 Pirates loss to the Reds.
Even omitting the 84 mph pitch, Jones’ velocity was down (averaging 95.9 mph on his four-seam fastball in comparison with 97.3 mph). The curveball that had seemed sharp his final two outings was barely touched, with one of many eight instances he did throw it leading to a two-run shot to heart for France. Elly De La Cruz obtained a maintain of a slider within the fourth inning for a three-run shot.
“Horrible. Every part was horrible right now,” Jones stated.
Jones’ spot within the rotation is due up yet one more time earlier than the season is thru, so this doesn’t precisely finish his rookie marketing campaign on a bitter word, however the second half of the season hasn’t been as form to him as the primary. He’s recorded a 6.15 ERA (26 1/3 IP, 18 earned runs) in his 5 begins since coming back from the injured checklist, and Friday’s outing pushed Jones to 128 1/3 innings on the season when you embrace his rehab task with Triple-A Indianapolis, a brand new profession excessive for him as an expert.
Combine in that it was a muggy afternoon on the banks of the Ohio River, and there’s loads of explanation why Jones won’t have been in prime kind. He’s not the sort that makes excuses, although, and he’s in no have to defend what has been a breakout marketing campaign that has cemented him as a cornerstone for this rotation shifting ahead. That may be evidenced by him changing into simply the seventh Pirate rookie to eclipse 125 strikeouts in a season.
However that subsequent step to changing into a bona fide front-of-the-rotation starter begins with consistency.
“I feel the most important factor is early within the yr he was actually per all of his weapons, and I feel what we have seen is just a little little bit of inconsistency,” Shelton stated. “A few of that’s [it’s his] first Main League season and we’re in September. A few of that’s he got here off an harm and perhaps attempting to do some an excessive amount of at instances.
“However total, the stuff continues to be good. We have simply obtained to verify it is extra constant.”
Jones will enter 2025 in the midst of what may very well be one of the gifted, younger rotations in baseball. Rising from this season wholesome and geared up with new data of the best way to navigate a full season’s workload can solely assist.
