Jack Flaherty is strong in return, Tigers win series against Guardians
Detroit – If you can get through the lows with this young baseball team, the highs can be pretty fun.
Since leaving Minneapolis last week with a record nine games under .500, the Tigers (45-49) have won six of seven games, including three of four wins against the AL Central Division-leading Cleveland Guardians.
“That tells me what we’ve always known,” manager AJ Hinch said after the Tigers knocked the Guardians out of Comerica Park with a convincing 10-1 victory Thursday afternoon. “We’re very determined. We’re going to play the whole game and stick to the game plan. Our guys love to compete.”
Right-hander Jack Flaherty also returned on Thursday. When asked if it was nice to see him back, Hinch replied: “Nice to see him back is an understatement. This guy helped us win a series against a first-place team. And after some close games, everyone knew we had a chance to win the series because Jack was on the mound.”
RESULT: Tigers 10, Guardians 1
Flaherty hadn’t pitched in 14 days after getting a second injection in his lower back to relieve inflammation and tightness, and if he was rusty, he hid it well.
Flaherty limited the Guardians to one run and two hits in six innings with four strikeouts, relying heavily on his 93.5 mph four-seamer and slider to generate mostly soft contact (16 balls in play, average exit velocity of 84 mph).
“The old Jack,” said catcher Carson Kelly, who contributed a solo home run in the third inning. “I think a little rest helped him get back into the swing of things. He seemed like the normal Jack, making all his throws.”
The only run came from one of his misses – a hanging slider on the first pitch to catcher Bo Naylor. Naylor threw the ball over the short wall in right field.
“I think it got a little worse as the game went on,” Flaherty said, referring to his fatigue level. “I lost the fastball at the end. I couldn’t get it in properly. I was starting to get a little tired. But we were able to execute the slider. Carson guided me through it really well.”
He also acknowledged several outstanding defensive plays — those of second baseman Colt Keith for a slow roller in the second inning, left fielder Riley Greene, who went deep into the gap between right and center field to take extra bases from Jose Ramirez, and third baseman Zach McKinstry, who ran about 30 yards while running into the stands to catch a foul pop-up.
“When you get an early lead, then hold on for a couple of innings and get the guys back in the dugout, it feels pretty good,” Flaherty said.
He had made 83 pitches and struck out Daniel Schneemann in the bottom of the sixth inning when he received a handshake and a hug from Hinch.
“It’s a good feeling to walk away and be in a good position,” Flaherty said. “I feel a lot better than I have the last few starts.”
He looked fresh and healthy from the first pitch to the last, which is significant because Flaherty, who has a one-year, $14 million contract, is likely to be one of the top transfer candidates among starting pitchers at the trade deadline. But he wouldn’t talk about that.
Instead, he wanted to talk about the growth of this Tigers team.
“It was fun to watch him,” Flaherty said. “What Greeney did is special. Carson did too. (Matt) Vierling. And Colt really has it. Respect to him. It’s tough. When you come in, you want to do big things right from the start, and he struggled a little bit. But he really has it.
“You can go up and down this lineup and see that the guys have turned things around.”
The Tigers batters showed extreme opportunity against a trio of Guardians pitchers who struggled to throw the ball across the plate.
With starter Spencer Howard and relievers Pedro Avila and Nick Sandlin, the Tigers allowed seven walks in six innings. Two of those walks – Keith and McKinstry – came with the bases loaded and forced runs.
Greene scored three runs on three singles. And Kelly’s home run was his seventh.
“Maturity,” Hinch said when asked what he’s seen from his offense over the last two series. “Some of our young players are maturing and some of our core players are coming into their own and we’re passing the baton well to each other.”
Gio Urshela, one of the main players, had two hits and capped a four-run inning in the sixth with a three-run double into the left field corner.
“The guys are playing pretty well right now,” Kelly said. “We’ve got to keep it up. There’s still a lot of games left. That’s a great team there (Cleveland) and to win three out of four is great. And now we have another challenge on Friday (three-game series against the Dodgers).”
The Tigers had a 13-7 record against the Guardians last season. They also improved their record in the Central Division this year to 16-13.
“Our guys like to win series,” Hinch said. “And we haven’t been able to do that in a while. Now we’ve done it a couple of times in a row. It’s nice to see.”
@cmccosky
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