Griffin Jax arrived in Cleveland with a different kind of October assignment waiting for him. A year after wondering whether his path would ever lead back to a rotation, the 31-year-old right-hander is set to make the first postseason start of his career Thursday, taking the ball for Tampa Bay in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
Jax will face Cleveland ace Gavin Williams at Progressive Field, with first pitch moved up to 1 p.m. ET because of an unfavorable weather forecast. The game will air on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max.
Jax gets the Game 3 call
The Rays have used Jax in a few different ways this fall, but their longer series against Cleveland has put him back in the role he spent the regular season building toward. He previously worked two innings in relief during Game 3 of the AL Division Series at Yankee Stadium, following starter Nick Martinez and Ian Seymour.
- Jax’s final regular-season outing was cut short in Philadelphia after a line drive struck him in the back.
- He returned to pitch two innings from the bullpen against the Yankees in the Division Series.
- Tampa Bay now hands him the Game 3 start, while Martinez appears positioned for Friday’s Game 4 assignment.
“It’s a big honor,” Jax said. “I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time now that I’m back in the rotation.”
His recent work has made the decision an easy one for Tampa Bay. Jax owns a 0.90 ERA across his last five appearances. Counting his final four regular-season starts and the relief appearance in New York, he has given up two runs on 10 hits and four walks over 20 innings, with 19 strikeouts.
Manager Kevin Cash said Jax should be ready to work without restriction despite the late-season line drive scare.
“We like what he did for us as a starter all year,” Cash said. “There’s a lot of confidence in him. The stuff is really good, he throws strikes, and he gets himself into a rhythm. He’s made a tremendous transition into the starter’s routine.”
The Rays will need him to keep pace with the work already supplied by Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta. Jax knows what awaits him: the opening game of the Cleveland portion of the series, a hostile ballpark, and one of the Guardians’ top arms on the other side.
“It means a lot that they trust me with Game 3, the first one in Cleveland, against one of their best pitchers,” Jax said. “It should be a good game. I’m excited for the challenge and the opportunity.”
Seymour continues to carry bullpen weight
Ian Seymour has not started a postseason game, but the left-hander has become one of Tampa Bay’s busiest and most valuable relief options. He has made four appearances over the first two rounds and faced 23 hitters, trailing only Rasmussen, who has faced 51, and Peralta, who has seen 43.
Seymour has allowed four of five inherited runners to score, but the damage directly charged to him has been limited. In 6 1/3 innings, he has surrendered one additional run on four hits, struck out nine and issued no walks.
Cash placed Seymour alongside the club’s more visible October pitching contributors.
“When you talk about Rasmussen and Peralta and what they’ve given us this postseason, Seymour belongs in that conversation,” Cash said. “He’s fearless in how he goes about it.”
Notes from Cleveland
- Tampa Bay has two Gold Glove finalists: shortstop Taylor Walls and left fielder Chandler Simpson. Walls is again in the running after previous near-misses, while Simpson’s nomination reflects major defensive improvement after working with coach Corey Dickerson.
- “It means a lot, especially after what I needed to improve from last year,” Simpson said. “Defense was a real emphasis for me coming into this season, and I’m happy I made big strides late in the year.”
- Brian Reith, Tampa Bay’s Triple-A Durham pitching coach for the past five seasons and a Rays employee for more than a decade, has departed to become Minnesota’s pitching coach.
- Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder called the Twins’ hire deserved and said Reith has made a broad impact on players throughout the organization. “He’s a complete pitching coach,” Snyder said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity, and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
- The Rays held their scheduled Wednesday workout at Progressive Field, though part of the session moved indoors with the field under tarp. The same weather system that pushed Thursday’s game to an afternoon start could also create concerns for Friday.
