Aug 1, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Jack Flaherty’s Struggles Could Derail Tigers’ Postseason Push

Originally posted on Detroit Tigers on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 8:00 AM ET

As the Detroit Tigers continue to try to hold off the red-hot Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central, the team has to break out of its funk soon.

It has not been a great extended stretch now for the Tigers. Despite being one of the best teams in baseball, and arguably the best in the AL in the first half of the season, they have gone in the wrong direction a bit.

At the trade deadline, Detroit made some improvements with a focus on its bullpen, but this was a team that was starting to show some other issues. The starting rotation has been hit hard by injuries, and the additions of Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack should at least provide some depth.

While the rotation isn’t a top concern for the team, it could be an issue come playoff time. This was a franchise that lacked support behind Tarik Skubal in the postseason last year, and it ended up dooming them.

The Tigers know that they are going to receive excellent performances from Skubal, but after him, there are some question marks. Over the winter, the team elected to bring back Jack Flaherty to help with that.

Before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Flaherty pitched well for Detroit. He went on to help the Dodgers win the World Series and was then signed back by the Tigers to be the sidekick to Skubal.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. The veteran right-hander hasn’t pitched well at all this campaign, totaling a 6-12 record and 4.76 ERA. These certainly aren’t the numbers of a number two caliber pitcher, and that is a weakness of the team now.

Can Flaherty turn things around?

Since the All-Star break, things haven’t improved for Flaherty either. The right-hander has totaled a 5.25 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, and a 1-3 record in 24 innings pitched.

With Detroit starting to run out of regular season, it would be hard to imagine that they would have confidence in Flaherty starting a playoff game for them right now. This should be a major concern for the franchise, which doesn’t have the same caliber of bullpen that they did in 2024 to cover up the flaws in the rotation.

While there is still some time to turn things around, Detroit should be concerned that he hasn’t shown any signs of getting back to his form from last year. If Flaherty is incapable of performing like the number two pitcher they are expecting him to be, the franchise could be in trouble come October.

This article first appeared on Detroit Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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