Detroit Tigers starter Jack Flaherty failed to complete four innings of work on Friday night against the Texas Rangers. He’s logged just nine innings through his last three starts, and yielded 11 walks and 10 earned runs through that stretch. The Tigers’ bullpen has also struggled to find consistency through the first month of the season, and injuries to key arms are also piling up. Injuries and inconsistencies are starting to become a problem for the Tigers.
Tigers Starter Jack Flaherty One of Several Issues Facing Pitching Staff
Flaherty looked like his old self through two innings at Comerica Park on Friday. Then, in just four at-bats in the third inning, he completely lost the strike zone and gave up four runs. It started with a hanging slider to Danny Jansen, who put it over the left field wall. That was the fourth home run Flaherty gave up in his last two starts. Yet, what came next was somehow even worse. Flaherty then walked three consecutive batters as he lost the strike zone. An RBI single and a sac fly followed as manager A.J. Hinch yanked his starter with two outs in the fourth inning.
Injuries and Inconsistencies
With Casey Mize going down injured on Tuesday, another short start was the last thing the Tigers’ pitching staff needed. Kenley Jansen has been struggling lately. Will Vest, Beau Brieske, and Connor Seabold are all injured, and a bullpen game is on the horizon on Sunday. That’s not to mention the early-season injury to Justin Verlander, the fact that Reese Olson was shut down for the season, and Troy Melton is still rehabbing at Low-A Lakeland.
The Tigers’ pitching staff handled Flaherty’s early shower very well at first. Enmanuel De Jesus, fresh from a call-up from Triple-A Toledo, Brenan Hanifee, and Brant Hurter combined for 3 1/3 innings of scoreless work to set up Burch Smith for the late innings. It’s worth mentioning that the 36-year-old Smith spent 2025 in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system but was released in July. The Tigers signed him to a minor league deal in December before calling him up after the ‘pen gave up nine runs, seven earned, against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 21st. Smith ended up yielding a run in the eighth to see the Rangers win.
Jack Flaherty: “I’m losing sleep over it every single day trying to figure out what goes on in that little bit right there, where we end up walking three guys in a row.”
Here’s more from Flaherty, who opened up about his struggles after Friday’s 5-4 loss to the Rangers: pic.twitter.com/drkJvBOYZu
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) May 2, 2026
Friday’s struggles are emblematic of the issues facing the Tigers’ pitching staff. Entering play on May 2nd, the bullpen ranks in the bottom third of the league in ERA, and has given up 54 walks and 52 earned runs.
Reinforcements Coming: Will They Be Enough?
Vest is the closest to making a comeback, having sat for about a week with an ankle issue. He was the most consistent reliever the team had in 2025, and his return will be immensely helpful. Beyond him, Seabold is throwing again, Brieske is facing live bullpen sessions in Lakeland, and Melton begins a rehab assignment on Sunday. Justin Verlander is “still fighting through” his early-season setback, while Mize is on the injured list until at least May 14th.
Getting Vest and Melton will help the bullpen lock down the late innings. Seabold, like Smith, is a journeyman and will help eat innings, but shouldn’t be relied on for shut-down situations like the one on Friday in Detroit. Brieske is still young and therefore relatively unknown, but he has proven to be an effective major-league reliever for most of his young career.
The Tigers’ pitching problems are reflective of the last two seasons. A.J. Hinch‘s famous, or perhaps infamous, pitching chaos reigned in 2024, and the team wasn’t far off from it last year. While the team snuck into Wild Card spots at the end of each campaign, they shouldn’t rely on the same strategy during their (likely) last season with two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. The offense is deep and good enough to support a playoff run. In order to give the team the best chance possible, GM Scott Harris should look to add high-leverage arms to the ‘pen in the coming months. If he doesn’t, the inconsistency on display for the last few weeks will define the Tigers’ pitching staff.
Main Photo Credit: © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
