Detroit Tigers squander another strong Jack Flaherty start in 2-1 loss to Guardians

CLEVELAND — The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians went down to the wire in Wednesday's game.

It was a classic pitching duel: Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty vs. Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee.

Although Flaherty outlasted Bibee, the Tigers couldn't outlast the Guardians in a 2-1 loss Wednesday in the third of four games at Progressive Field. The Guardians grabbed the lead — and never let go — in the eighth inning against right-handed reliever Beau Brieske.

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The Tigers (50-53) have dropped back-to-back games for the first time since June 28-29. They trail the first-place Guardians (61-40) by 12 games in the American League Central.

It might've been the final start of Flaherty's tenure with the Tigers.

"He was really good," manager A.J. Hinch said, "just with how precise he had to be with both of his breaking balls. The curveball was in the dirt a lot, but it changed eye levels and changed pace. The slider looked to be really good. He moved his fastball around enough. They did make him work. There were a couple of innings in there where he had to do a lot, but he competed great tonight."

The 28-year-old, pitching on an expiring contract, is lined up to start Monday against the Guardians at Comerica Park, but he is also expected to be traded before Tuesday's trade deadline.

Flaherty, who signed a one-year, $14 million contract in the offseason, has a 2.95 ERA with 19 walks and 133 strikeouts across 106⅔ innings in 18 starts.

In the eighth inning, the Guardians took a 2-1 lead on Josh Naylor's RBI single off Brieske's fastball with runners on the corners. Before the single, Brieske fell behind 3-0 in the count to Naylor, forcing him to throw a strike to avoid loading the bases.

Brieske, who threw just nine of 18 pitches for strikes, walked Bo Naylor — representing the go-ahead run — to kickstart the eighth in what felt like the worst way possible.

"It looked like he was erratic," Hinch said. "Leadoff walks hurt a lot in most innings, but certainly late in the game."

On Josh Naylor's go-ahead single, the ball bounced up the middle and nicked the end of second baseman Colt Keith's outstretched glove before traveling into the outfield.

"It sucks it got through," Keith said. "If you give me another shot at it, I think I have a really good chance of getting to it. I probably should have got to that ball."

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Matt Vierling hit his first 12 home runs to the pull side.

For his 13th homer, Vierling hit a middle-away fastball from Bibee over the wall in right for a solo home run with two outs in the first inning. It was his first opposite-field homer of the season.

"I didn't really expect that one," Vierling said. "I wasn't trying to do that at all. It just happened."

Vierling is hitting .254 with 13 homers in 91 games.

Aside from Vierling, the Tigers were silenced by Bibee throughout Wednesday's game.

Bibee, who finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting last season, allowed one run on two hits and one walk with four strikeouts in five innings, throwing 67 pitches. He exited before throwing a pitch in the sixth inning with lower extremity cramping.

Facing Jack Flaherty

The Guardians scored their lone run off Flaherty in the fifth inning, though it wasn't charged as an earned run. With two outs, Bo Naylor hit a single to right field.

After that, Flaherty threw a slider below the strike zone that catcher Carson Kelly tried to catch and frame. He started framing the pitch in the strike zone before the ball went into his glove, and as a result of rushing his process, he ball skipped away for a passed ball, allowing Naylor to advance into scoring position.

Two pitches later, Steven Kwan slapped a single to right-center field score Naylor from second base. The RBI single from Kwan tied the game, 1-1, in the fifth.

"I think it changed his approach," Flaherty said. "It's tough, but Cars has been nails back there. It is what it is, but Kwan is one of those guys. He's a really good hitter, a tough guy to get out three, four times in a game. I probably could have made a different pitch. The ball could've been hit right at somebody. He's a tough guy to face in that spot."

Flaherty allowed one run (zero earned runs) on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts across six innings, throwing 96 pitches. He needed 26 pitches in a scoreless fourth and 19 pitches in the one-run fifth before an eight-pitch sixth inning to finish his 18th start.

Flaherty generated 13 whiffs on 45 swings — a 28.9% whiff rate — with seven fastballs, five sliders and one curveball. His fastball averaged 92.8 mph, down from his yearly average of 93.6 mph.

"It's a good lineup," Flaherty said. "They don't strike out a lot. They put the ball in play. Third time facing them this year and it wasn't too long removed from the last one, so you got to find different ways to get guys out and find a way to keep executing."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers squander Jack Flaherty gem in 2-1 loss to Cleveland