Flaherty Falters Again as Tigers Drop Series Opener to Rangers
The Detroit Tigers are searching for stability on the mound — and right now, it’s proving elusive.
Right-hander Jack Flaherty once again put the club in an early hole Friday night, failing to escape the fourth inning for the third consecutive start as the Tigers fell to the Texas Rangers. The outing continued a troubling trend for Flaherty, whose ERA has now climbed to 5.90 through seven starts, raising growing concerns about the reliability of a rotation piece the Tigers need to anchor games.
From the opening innings, Flaherty struggled to establish rhythm. Command issues and hittable pitches forced Detroit into damage control mode almost immediately, a position that has become all too familiar when he takes the mound. For a team trying to build consistency after an uneven April, early deficits are a formula for frustration — and Friday was no exception.
To their credit, the Tigers’ bullpen delivered a performance that deserved a better outcome. Left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus, right-hander Brenan Hanifee, lefty Brant Hurter, and veteran Burch Smith combined to cover the final 5⅓ innings, stabilizing the game and giving Detroit a chance to claw back. It was a gritty, professional effort from a relief corps that has been leaned on heavily in recent days.
But the early damage proved too much to overcome.
Flaherty’s struggles are particularly concerning given the expectations placed on him entering the season. The Tigers envisioned him as a steady veteran presence capable of working deep into games. Instead, he has become a recurring source of instability, forcing increased bullpen usage and putting added pressure on an offense that has already battled inconsistency.
As Detroit looks ahead in the series, the path forward is clear but not simple: longer starts, fewer early deficits, and a reset from a pitcher who has yet to find his footing.
Because if this pattern continues, the Tigers won’t just be losing games — they’ll be exhausting their bullpen.
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