Jack Flaherty Starts for Tigers Against Rangers at Comerica Park
jack flaherty is scheduled to start Friday night for the Tigers against the Rangers at Comerica Park, giving Detroit a home look at a rotation spot that has been uneven over his last two outings. The game opens a six-game homestand for a team that returns home tied with the Cleveland Guardians atop the AL Central at 16-16.
Comerica Park Gets Flaherty Again
Detroit came back from a 4-5 interleague swing and finished the trip with a 5-2 win over the Braves in Atlanta on Thursday to avoid a sweep. That set up a matchup that puts Flaherty on the mound at home after back-to-back poor road appearances.
The right-hander last faced Texas on May 10 of the previous year and allowed five runs on four hits, including four home runs, and two walks while striking out four over three innings in a loss. His Friday assignment comes against a Rangers lineup that arrives a half-game behind Detroit in the overall standings, with one fewer win in one fewer game played.
Tigers Home Split
The Tigers have been much stronger at Comerica Park than away from it. They are 10-2 at home and 6-14 on the road, and all five of their wins against fellow AL teams have come in Detroit.
That split gives this game a different shape than the road losses that have dragged on their record. Flaherty’s home start is part of the first test in a homestand that also includes the Boston Red Sox.
MacKenzie Gore Opposes Detroit
MacKenzie Gore is set to start for Texas. He enters with a 6.14 ERA and 5.50 FIP over his last three starts, during which he allowed 16 hits, three home runs and 10 walks while striking out 17 batters across 14 2/3 innings.
Gore last faced the Tigers on July 2 of the previous summer as a member of the Washington Nationals, when he threw 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball and earned the win. Friday’s first pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET in Detroit, and the matchup gives the Tigers a chance to keep pace in the division while opening a stretch that should lean on their home record.
