The Detroit Tigers are experiencing difficulties as their advantage in the American League Central division steadily diminishes. Recent losses, including a series defeat to the Minnesota Twins—a team that had parted with nearly all its key players during the trade deadline—have sparked concern among fans and analysts about the team’s ability to sustain its position.
Although the Tigers still hold the largest divisional lead in baseball, the trade deadline’s conclusion means the roster is now fixed, revealing both the team’s current strengths and vulnerabilities. Among these, the starting pitching rotation, once a pillar of success, has become a significant area of weakness.
Injuries and Inconsistencies Plague Tigers’ Starting Rotation
Aside from Tarik Skubal, most of Detroit’s starting pitchers have battled injuries or fluctuating performance, undermining the rotation’s reliability. This has exposed cracks in a staff that initially appeared solid and dependable earlier in the season, troubling the team‘s hopes for a sustained playoff push.
Detroit’s most notable offseason acquisition, Jack Flaherty, has been a key example of this instability. Despite flashes of his previous elite form, Flaherty has struggled to maintain consistency and effectiveness on the mound, a troubling sign given his role in anchoring the rotation.
Examining Jack Flaherty’s Struggles with the Tigers This Season
At 29 years old, Jack Flaherty has shown glimpses of the pitcher who impressed during last year’s campaign, but his overall performance this season has fallen short of expectations. While his early 2024 numbers with Detroit featured a 2.95 ERA and a 0.956 WHIP across 18 starts, his stats this year reveal a downturn, with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.280 WHIP along with a league-leading 11 losses in the American League.
In his most recent outing, Flaherty recorded one of his poorest starts, lasting just 4.2 innings and surrendering eight hits and five earned runs, contributing to the Tigers losing their series against the Twins. This contrasts sharply with the quality he had shown in his previous two starts, where he gave up just seven hits and one run combined, striking out 14 batters over 12 innings.
Why Flaherty’s Performance Is Critical to Detroit’s Future
The Tigers’ success in preserving their divisional lead and their postseason aspirations will heavily depend on Flaherty regaining the form he displayed before his latest struggles. The pitcher’s dual performance highlights the fragile nature of Detroit’s rotation; the team simply cannot afford the inconsistent side of Flaherty if it hopes to compete at a high level going forward.
Returning to the effectiveness he showed early in the year could help stabilize the pitching staff, bringing it closer to the dominant form it exhibited at the season’s start rather than the disappointing performance witnessed over the past several weeks.
What Lies Ahead for Detroit’s Rotation and Playoff Hopes
As the trade deadline has passed and the roster is set, Detroit must rely on the talent and depth it currently possesses. The Tigers’ fragile rotation underscores the urgency for pitchers like Flaherty and Skubal to perform consistently if the team wants to maintain its lead in the competitive AL Central.
While the team holds an advantage, the recent decline in pitching effectiveness raises questions about how sustainable their position in the standings will be. Fans and analysts will be watching closely to see if Detroit’s staff can rebound and stabilize heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
“If the Tigers are going to have any chance of keeping things on the rails and hanging onto their division lead, not to mention a possible run in October, they need the version of Flaherty he was starting to look like prior to Wednesday.”
—Michael Brauner, Sports Media Reporter
“Showing two different sides of himself, Detroit cannot afford the struggling side of Flaherty, they simply must have him at his best.”
—Michael Brauner, Sports Media Reporter
“It’s a particularly disappointing development considering that in his two previous starts, Flaherty had given up a total of just seven hits and one run as well as 14 strikeouts over 12 innings pitched.”
—Michael Brauner, Sports Media Reporter