Tigers try to guide Jimenez through struggles

DETROIT -- Joe Jimenez was the Tigers’ representative at the All-Star Game last year. He remains widely viewed as Detroit’s closer of the future. For now, however, he’s Detroit’s struggling reliever of the present.

“He has always gone out there with the confidence,” manager Ron Gardenhire said, “and right now it’s shaken a little bit.”

It’s evident in his frustration after his recent outings. His interview after his loss last Sunday at Atlanta, when he walked two batters, gave up a go-ahead double and threw away a potential double-play ball, consisted of a handful of very short answers, none more than a few words. His interview after Friday’s loss against the Twins, when a Nelson Cruz home run doomed him, was slightly longer.

“Come in tomorrow and try it again,” Jimenez said of his approach. “That’s it.”

After a sneaky good performance in May that included 18 strikeouts in 12 innings, Jimenez has yielded eight runs (five earned) in two innings over three outings in June. In many ways, he’s back to where he was earlier this season, when Gardenhire moved him into lower-leverage situations for a stretch to let him work on his pitching without the pressure of a game on the line. But that only goes so far; Jimenez still has to pitch.

The problem isn’t velocity. After averaging just under 95 mph on his fastball during a chilly April, that pitch has averaged 95.7 mph, according to Statcast. That’s consistent with last season save for a 96.6 mph average last June. He’s in the 86th percentile of pitchers on velocity, and the 95th percentile on spin rate. His slider actually has more drop than last season. His strikeout and whiff rates are level with or better than last season.

But when hitters make contact, they’re generally hitting his pitches hard. His line-drive rate has jumped from 25.8 percent last season to 31.7 percent this year. Hitters are pulling 38.3 of the pitches they put in play against him, compared with 31.9 percent last year. His barrel rate has nearly doubled from 6.7 to 13.3 percent.

Perhaps it was telling that even in a low-leverage outing last Tuesday with the 9-2 lead over the Rays, hitters made Jimenez work. His first batter, Daniel Robertson, worked a 13-pitch at-bat, fouling off seven two-strike pitches -- six of them fastballs -- before finally grounding out. A flyout and two walks later, Jimenez was at the 25-pitch mark with an out left to go, which Buck Farmer came on to record -- but not before a Willy Adames grand slam left Jimenez with two runs scored.

While ERA is a poor indicator for a reliever, who can spend weeks trying to nullify the statistical damage from one bad outing, Jimenez has a 5.88 ERA since this point last year. His 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.89 strikeout-to-walk rate are strong, but the combination of 28 walks and 10 home runs over 56 2/3 innings account for the bulk of the struggles.

Injury updates
• The summer rains of central Florida limited Jordan Zimmermann to 2 2/3 innings and 35 pitches Saturday night in his first rehab outing for Class A Advanced Lakeland. The game was suspended with Zimmermann having allowed two runs. The Tigers haven’t scheduled his next start, but Gardenhire said he’ll likely take the mound again in a few days.

• The Tigers transferred second baseman Josh Harrison to the 60-day injured list Sunday morning to make room for right-handed reliever Carlos Torres on the 40-man roster. Harrison is expected to miss six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a left hamstring tear.

• Jordy Mercer (right quad strain) worked out on the field at Comerica Park again on Sunday morning as he tries to get back on a rehab assignment.

“He’s real frustrated,” Gardenhire said. “I can’t give him grief about being an Okie. I have to leave him alone.”

• Kyle Funkhouser, the Tigers’ No. 10 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, made his second start back from shoulder inflammation Sunday, taking the mound for Double-A Erie. If all goes well, the right-hander will rejoin the rotation at Triple-A Toledo next week and could be in line to make his Major League debut later this summer.

• The Tigers' No. 3 prospect Franklin Perez (right shoulder inflammation) has resumed throwing at the Tigers’ Spring Training facility in Lakeland, Fla.