Tigers Should Be Slightly Concerned After Two Straight Poor Starts From Ace

The Detroit Tigers did not get this road series started off on the right foot against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night, losing 14-8 and dropping a rare second game in a row this season.

It was a particularly poor outing for right-hander Jack Flaherty and likely his worst in a Tigers uniform, getting pulled from the game after just 2.1 innings after allowing six hits and eight earned runs with three walks as well.

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Though there's no need to smash the panic button just yet and it simply just was not Flaherty's night. Although, that is now back-to-back poor starts for Flaherty after he allowed seven hits and seven runs with a staggering five walks against the Cincinnati Reds.

Flaherty's ERA over the last two has ballooned from an impressive 3.41 mark after dominating the Chicago Cubs all the way up to an ugly looking 4.83.

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Also of note is the fact that with his 15th start of the season being made, his player option for next season escalated from $10 million to $20 million, meaning even if he continues to struggle, Flaherty could be tied in for next year's team at a guaranteed hefty chunk of change.

He has been expected to opt out all season due to the fact that he was seeking a longer term deal this past winter, but that could be up in the air if he does not get it together.

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More important than that though is the fact that Detroit desperately needs Flaherty to be at his best down the stretch if they are going to accomplish what it looked like they are capable of over the first couple of months.

Behind Tarik Skubal of course, Flaherty is by far the best and most consistent starting pitcher on the team, both in terms of production and ability to stay on the field.

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Early on this season, it looked like the 29-year-old had stepped right back into the 2.95 ERA version of himself from 18 Motor City starts last year before the trade, but now how much this team is really able to trust him seems to be up in the air.

If Flaherty cannot figure out what is going wrong and turn things around quickly, it's going to be a very tall task for the Tigers to make the kind of second half charge and eventual postseason run fans have been hoping for.

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