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The Detroit Tigers have been one of the worst teams in the MLB, winning just 2 games of their past 8. On both occasions, Detroit was propelled to from Jack Flaherty. The 28-year old proved to be unfazed by a minor injury in Texas on June 4th, continuing to deliver consistent greatness.
Flaherty was able to take the mound in Houston just 11 days after his injury. Facing a star-studded lineup of Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, and others, he delivered 5 shutout innings. The trio at the top of the lineup failed to record a single hit off of Flaherty, while 13 runs propelled Detroit to a victory.
Detroit returned to Comerica Park for a 3-game homestand against the Chicago White Sox, who hold the worst record in the league. Flaherty geared up for the series opener on Friday, which proved to be tense. Carson Kelly gave early run support on a 2-run bomb, while Flaherty kept working into the 5th.
In the top of the 5th, Tommy Pham lined a solo shot down the left field line; it was Flaherty’s first earned run since May 23rd. He was subsequently replaced by Nicky Lopez. In total, it was another solid outing, as he struck out 8 over 5.2 innings.
Flaherty’s ERA has gone below 3, as he sits at 2.92. He currently ranks 8th in the metric. His strikeout to walk ratio is even more remarkable at a staggering 8.31. If Flaherty would stay on the same pace for the rest of the season, he would rank 14th all-time behind Pedro Martinez’s 1999 Cy-Young campaign.
While Flaherty has shined and proved himself as an excellent free-agent signing, the Tigers have been trailing south. Ever since Detroit’s offense put up 13 runs in Houston, they’ve only scored 6 runs in their past 6 games (54 innings). In their last 15 games, they’ve only captured 4 victories.
Detroit falls to 35-41 after losing their second game to Chicago. They will finish the series on Sunday before hosting Philadelphia, who has the best record in the National League. Flaherty will likely pitch the final game against the Phillies on the 26th.
This article is written independently for adamcookejournalism.com.
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