DeLauter, Jobe find ways to shine in showdown

It seemed like a preview of future AL Central rivals when two top 50 prospects clashed at Double-A on Sunday afternoon.

For the second time this week, the Guardians' Chase DeLauter (MLB No. 42) stepped into the batter's box against the Tigers' Jackson Jobe (MLB No. 8). The former came out ahead in this round.

The third time DeLauter came to the plate, he battled back from down 0-2 to launch a solo home run to right field, which proved pivotal in Double-A Akron's 6-5 win over Erie at UPMC Park. Still, it wound up being yet another dominant start for Jobe, the top pitching prospect in baseball.

This latest roundtripper made it three straight games going deep for the Guardians' No. 2 prospect. That's the first professional homer streak of any kind for the 2022 first-rounder, who has a nine-game hitting streak as well as a 1.098 OPS in August.

Seeing Jobe five days earlier was helpful to the 22-year-old outfielder, even though the right-hander spun six scoreless innings against the RubberDucks. After going 2-for-3 in that game, DeLauter came prepared with a different approach in the latest outing.

"He's dominant like usual," said DeLauter, who has faced Jobe in four games. "Tuesday, I got some breaking balls from him and some changeups. I had a hunch today that if he was gonna attack me in or come after me, it was going be with the heaters. I got the one I wanted there at the end, and I put a good swing on it."

Facing a team twice in a series was a relatively new challenge for the Tigers' No. 2 prospect, particularly since Akron's lineup consists entirely of lefties and switch-hitters. Jobe was heavier on changeups on Tuesday and then put more emphasis on back-foot sliders while racking up seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings on Sunday. And, of course, his riding, upper-90s fastball remained a signature.

"He's a legit pitcher in every aspect of the game," DeLauter said. "He can throw offspeeds for strikes in any count, he can throw his heater whenever he wants. It's dominant. I think he's going to be a very good pitcher for a team for a very long time. Definitely one of the better arms that you can see in this league."

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That fastball has been one of the keys to Jobe's breakout season with a 2.12 ERA and 73 strikeouts across 68 innings. He's been able to wield the 65-grade pitch to devastating effect up in the zone. The heater was responsible for four strikeouts on Sunday -- but also the DeLauter homer. It was in the location he wanted, so all he could do was tip his cap.

By focusing on staying through the ball on every throw, the third overall pick in the 2021 Draft has become even more adept at getting the desired vertical movement that fools hitters at the top of the zone. He's only given up two home runs all season after surrendering a combined 25 over his first two pro campaigns.

"That's something that I've worked on ever since I got drafted -- the shape of my fastball and giving it like that rising effect," Jobe said. "It's something I've gotten pretty good at, so it's cool to see how far I've come because at Low-A, that was not the case. Even looking at last year, I gave up a lot of damage on my fastball. This year, it's been a complete 180 turn."

Jobe was pleased with his outing -- limiting the damage to two runs on three hits -- and most proud of the fact that he went over 100 pitches for just the second time in his career.

"With the injuries and stuff, the biggest goal for me this year was to build up my innings, throw more pitches and get my body and arm activated to go deeper in the games and throw more stressful pitches and in different situations," Jobe said. "I'm happy about it for sure. … Arm feels good, body feels good, so keep building off it."