The Detroit Tigers let one slip away Friday night, and it didn’t sit well.
After climbing out of a 4-0 hole to tie the game, Detroit went quiet late and dropped a frustrating 5-4 decision to the Texas Rangers at Comerica Park. It was the kind of game that felt there for the taking, especially with momentum on their side early in a homestand.
Tigers fight back, then stall out
Detroit showed resilience after falling behind early, putting together quality at-bats and grinding its way back against MacKenzie Gore. The Tigers weren’t hitting for power, but they were productive, stringing together traffic and driving in runs to even the game at 4-4.
Once they got there, though, the offense went quiet.
The Tigers had some loud contact late, including multiple hard-hit fly balls in the eighth inning, but nothing found grass. At Comerica Park, especially to center field, those balls often die in gloves. The result was another night where Detroit did enough to make the game winnable, then failed to finish it.
Jack Flaherty puts Tigers in early hole
The biggest issue was Jack Flaherty, who struggled badly from the start. He fell behind in counts, issued walks, and when he did come into the zone, Texas made him pay.
Detroit is dealing with rotation injuries, and that context matters. But Flaherty’s current form is making every fifth day feel like an uphill climb. The Tigers were down 4-0 because their starter could not give them clean innings, and the offense had to spend the rest of the night digging out.
For a team trying to find consistency, that is becoming a major problem.
The bullpen did its job
This was not a night to blame the bullpen.
Detroit’s relievers gave the Tigers a chance. Brant Hurter, Beau Brieske, Will Vest, Tyler Holton, Brenan Hanifee, and others have all taken criticism at different points this season, but the group that followed Flaherty largely did its job Friday night.
The problem was that the Tigers had already been forced into scramble mode. When the starter exits early and the offense has to claw all the way back, the margin for error becomes too small.
Wenceel Perez gives Tigers a spark
Wenceel Perez was one of the bright spots for Detroit. He drove in two runs and added a stolen base, giving the Tigers exactly the kind of energy they needed during their comeback push.
His night was not enough to carry Detroit across the finish line, but he gave the lineup a needed spark on a night when the Tigers had a chance to steal momentum and open the homestand with a win.
Tigers need to start stacking wins
The Tigers are now 16-17, and while there is still plenty of baseball left, the back-and-forth nature of this start is getting old.
Detroit has shown flashes. The problem is that every step forward seems to come with another step back. A comeback win Friday would have been a strong way to reset the tone at Comerica Park. Instead, the Tigers are left looking at another missed opportunity.
At some point, the Tigers have to stop leaning on the “long season” excuse and start winning games they should win. Friday night was one of them.
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