The Detroit Tigers get a chance on Thursday to do something they have not done since the beginning of May: win a series. Detroit beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-0 on Wednesday night at Comerica Park, and a victory in the finale would give the Tigers their first series win at home since they took two of three from the Texas Rangers.
That is why Thursday afternoon matters in Detroit. The game is set for 1:10 p.m. ET at Comerica Park, with Jack Flaherty starting for the Tigers and Grayson Rodriguez going for the Angels. For Detroit, the matchup comes with the chance to turn one shutout win into a rare series triumph and keep momentum after a stretch that has not produced one since early May.
Flaherty has not been sharp lately, even if the underlying numbers give him something to work with. He has a 6.65 ERA this month over five games and 21 2/3 innings, while his 4.09 FIP suggests he has not been hit as hard as the runs allowed might indicate. The right-hander also has recent history against Los Angeles: when he faced the Angels on May 3 last year, he gave up five runs, four earned, over 5 2/3 innings.
Rodriguez brings a different kind of pressure into the finale. He is scheduled to make his third start of the season with a 10.61 ERA and a 1-1 record, numbers that reflect how hard he has been hit so far. His past against Detroit, though, is more encouraging. In April 2023, while with the Baltimore Orioles, he faced the Tigers twice and did not allow a run in 10 innings.
Detroit’s win on Wednesday was clean on the scoreboard, but it came with a concern that hangs over the rest of the week. Casey Mize left after four innings with a groin injury, putting a stopper on what had been a strong night for the Tigers before the finale even arrived. The injury does not change Thursday’s assignment, but it does leave one immediate question for Detroit: whether Mize will be available the next time the club needs him.
For now, the Tigers have a simple task in front of them. Beat the Angels again, and they leave Comerica Park with their first series win since the opening weeks of May. Let it slip, and the drought continues into another homestand.
