Jack

Flaherty

Flaherty will remain with Detroit for at least one additional season after signing a two-year, $35 million pact last offseason to return to the Tigers after winning a World Series title with the Dodgers. The 30-year-old righty recorded an underwhelming 4.64 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 188/59 K/BB ratio across 161 innings over 31 starts this past season. He’ll aim to put together a rebound campaign before testing the open market again next offseason.

Flaherty could have been pulled down 2-0 in the third, but he bounced back that inning to strike out Julio Rodríguez and Jorge Polanco with two on and then benefitted from Josh Naylor’s 394-foot drive to right-center, which would have been a homer in 11 ballparks, being caught on the track at Comerica. He was then left in for the fourth, which started with a homer and a walk before Flaherty struck out Victor Robles and was pulled. The inherited runner came around to score off Tommy Kahnle. The loss leaves Flaherty 2-6 with a 5.24 ERA lifetime in the postseason.

He’ll be followed by Casey Mize in Game 4 (if necessary) on Wednesday. Tarik Skubal would then get the call if the series goes to a decisive fifth game back in Seattle on Friday evening. Flaherty is coming off of a strong outing against the Guardians in the Wild Card round where he allowed just one run on three hits over 4 2/3 quality frames.

The 29-year-old right-hander punched out four batters on the afternoon while issuing a pair of walks. The lone tally against him came on an RBI single by Jose Ramirez on a 3-2 pitch with first base open in the fourth inning. Flaherty got seven whiffs on 74 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 31 percent. The next time that he takes the mound will come against the Mariners in the Division Series.

That’s mildly concerning for the Tigers. Mize was fine this season, with a 3.87 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 139/36 K/BB ratio over 149 innings, but he pitched to a 4.92 ERA in 60 1/3 innings after the All-Star Break. Meanwhile, Flaherty has a 4.64 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 161 innings this season. It feels like the Tigers need to win Game 1 with Tarik Skubal on the mound to have any chance in this series.

Flaherty was amped tonight, with his fastball averaging 1.2 mph than his season norm. He wound up striking out six and walking none, but it was another rough day at the office anyway. He’ll finish as the only AL pitcher with 15 losses unless the White Sox’s Tyler Alexander picks up one more in relief. The Tigers have gone 9-22 in his 31 starts.

Detroit can’t afford to take any chances with their AL Central division lead evaporating at a rapid pace following five consecutive losses combined with Cleveland’s surreal 10-game winning streak. Skubal will attempt to set the tone during the opener of a pivotal three-game series in place of Jack Flaherty. The decision also puts the 28-year-old ace in line to take the ball for next Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Red Sox, if needed.

The Tigers were shut out tonight, so Flaherty took his 14th loss. He’s tied with Tyler Alexander for the high total there among AL pitchers. It’s hardly all his fault, but the Tigers are 9-21 in his starts, compared to 76-46 the rest of the time. He’s slated to face the Guardians again next week.

Flaherty allowed only two hits and one walk tonight, but he still did need 99 pitches to get his 15 outs, preventing him from working deep into the game. That didn’t prove to be much of an issue, though, as the Tigers expanded their lead from 2-0 to 11-1 after he departed. It’s just Flaherty’s third win in his last 16 starts. He’s now 8-14 with a 4.69 ERA for the year, and he’ll get the Guardians next.

Flaherty struck out two batters on the evening while issuing two free passes. The White Sox had traffic on the bases against him in every inning, scratching out single runs in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings. The 29-year-old right-hander got just six swings and misses on 83 pitches on the night, registering a CSW of 27 percent. He’ll try to put this one behind him and get back on track as he carries a 4.85 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and a 171/54 K/BB ratio (146 2/3 innings) into Thursday’s battle against the Yankees in New York.