The Detroit Tigers snapped a four-game skid on Friday in their home opener and will look to build a winning streak in the second game of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday afternoon.
Key free-agent acquisition Framber Valdez pitched six shutout innings for Detroit, and three relievers finished off a 4-0 victory. Dillon Dingler blasted a two-run homer, his second of the season, to lead the offense.
“That was pretty awesome,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “There is such a good feel in this ballpark when our fans are into it. I’m glad a lot of new guys got to feel it. And we came out with a good game. Just proud of our guys, especially after a long trip, including the spring. Feeling the vibe in the city and being able to produce a good game is pretty cool.”
Dingler’s long ball ended a streak of 18 scoreless innings for Detroit.
“I thought we were putting up good at-bats,” Hinch said. “Just not getting a ton to show for it. We needed that big breakthrough moment, and we got it.”
Right-hander Jack Flaherty will start for the Tigers on Saturday. Flaherty (0-1, 4.15 ERA) gave up three runs, two earned, in 4 1/3 innings at San Diego last Saturday. He had control problems in that outing, walking four in a 3-0 loss.
Flaherty retired the first eight batters he faced before getting into trouble.
“We started out great,” he said. “The ball was coming out well, and we were making some good pitches. I have to make more pitches there in the third. We’re a pitch away and they put a couple of good at-bats together against me. Maybe I was trying to force things a little bit. I’ll take the good with the bad and move on to the next one.”
Flaherty recorded only two strikeouts during his 89-pitch outing.
“Three of the first four hits were with two strikes and two outs,” Hinch said. “He just had a hard time closing out hitters at the end of innings. He got a little tired at the end with the walks.”
Flaherty appeared in 122 games (118 starts) with St. Louis from 2017-23, going 41-31 with a 3.58 ERA. He has faced his former team only once, and it was a dazzling performance.
On April 30, 2024, Flaherty tossed 6 2/3 innings against the Cardinals while racking up 14 strikeouts. He did not figure into the decision in a 2-1 loss.
He’ll oppose right-hander Dustin May (0-1, 13.50 ERA) on Saturday. May was rocked in his Cardinals debut, allowing six runs and 10 hits in four innings in an 11-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. May signed a one-year contract as a free agent in December.
“It was a lot of bad luck and a lot of bad execution tied together,” he said. “It was more the location of the fastball. If it was better located, it would have produced better results. Missed too much in the heart of the plate.”
May, who will face the Tigers for the first time, didn’t come away discouraged.
“I’ve been in worse spots in my career,” said May, 28. “To be able to come out of it healthy, that’s a positive thing. There’s definitely a lot worse places I could be.”
The Cardinals are on their first road trip of the season after starting 4-2 at home against the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets. After the current series, St. Louis will head to Washington, D.C., for three games with the Nationals beginning Monday before returning home.
–Field Level Media
