Jack Flaherty didn’t expect to stay on the injured list for very long. The Detroit Tigers right-hander correctly assessed the injury that forced him to miss a couple of starts.
He’ll be back on the mound at Detroit’s Comerica Park in the finale of a four-game series against the Houston Astros on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers will be looking to earn a split of the series after falling 8-6 on Saturday.
Flaherty was placed on the injured list following a June 12 outing against Cleveland due to a left peroneal strain, a tendon injury along his lower leg. He made a rehab start for Double-A Erie on Tuesday night and recorded seven strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings while throwing 83 pitches.
“I didn’t anticipate (the injury) keeping me out very long,” he said. “If I needed to, I probably could’ve pushed through it.”
After a bullpen session, Flaherty was given the green light to start on Sunday afternoon.
“He’s good to go for tomorrow,” manager A.J. Hinch said on Saturday. “We can’t make it official until the morning. But yeah, we’re fully expecting him to be good to go.”
Flaherty (1-8, 5.35 ERA) was convinced by his minor league outing that he was ready to take his usual turn in the Tigers’ rotation.
“It went pretty smooth in terms of stuff, the ball was coming out good,” Flaherty said. “Sometimes when you go through a period of not being on the mound as much and not pitching as much in a routine, things can get out of whack. But the execution was pretty good, in terms of getting ahead of the hitters and throwing strikes and doing all the little things you need to do.”
Flaherty is 2-3 with a 2.95 ERA in seven career outings (six starts) against the Astros.
He’ll be opposed by right-hander Hunter Brown (1-0, 1.40 ERA), who had a much longer stay on the injured list.
Brown was sidelined for 2 1/2 months by a Grade 2 right shoulder strain. He returned to action June 16 against the Tigers, limiting them to one run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Brown’s second outing since being activated was much shorter. He pitched three innings against Toronto on Monday, giving up one run on four hits but required 85 pitches during that span.
“As a starting pitcher, you typically have four or five pitches so you can navigate any given night. Maybe three of those five are working, or even two. And (Monday) I just had zero,” Brown said. “Just one of those games where I had really poor command and control. Just couldn’t really figure it out. Didn’t do the best I could, and it was not a good night.”
Brown only walked two batters but found himself in a lot of deep counts.
“I feel like the pitches I threw in the zone, they fouled off or took and then sprinkled in a couple hits,” Brown said. “But it felt like every count was 3-2. I struggled to put guys away and just didn’t really get it done.”
A Michigan native, Brown is 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA in seven career outings (six starts) against the Tigers.
–Field Level Media
