Tarik Skubal came up huge for the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, pitching a Maddux-style complete game with under 100 pitches. Skubal had a perfect game through five innings, but ultimately gave up just two hits while striking out 13 Guardians hitters, walking none of them in the process. As great as Skubal's start was, he had to be perfect on Sunday, in part because of Detroit's past struggles against the Guardians. That's just what aces do, as teammate Jack Flaherty expressed on social media.
Flaherty merely wrote that Skubal was "the best," which is as true of a statement as he could make. However, the fact that Flaherty tweeted it in the first place while having an up-and-down season in his own right was curious. Tigers fans need Flaherty to bounce back and be the top-of-the-rotation level starter Scott Harris paid for this winter. His 4.39 ERA won't cut it.
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Jack Flaherty has been better of late, but the Tigers need more
To be fair to Flaherty, he has pitched better of late, allowing just five earned runs in over 11 innings pitched. That is what the Tigers paid for when they signed him to a two-year, $35 million deal this past winter. That may not sound like a lot of money given what the likes of Max Fried and Corbin Burnes made this past winter, but for Harris and team owner Chris Ilitch, it's no bargain buy. Flaherty himself is incredibly self-aware when it comes to his own struggles early this season for Detroit.
“It just comes down to executing pitches,” Flaherty said earlier this month. “If you make good pitches, you give yourself a chance. If you don’t make good pitches, these are the best hitters in the world. They’re going to make you pay.”
Flaherty hasn't been altogether bad. Consistency has been a key issue. Just three starts ago, Flaherty allowed five earned runs. In his last appearance, he left baserunners on against Cleveland in a game which ultimately resulted in a loss. However, how can Detroit's ownership be expected to shell out a record deal for Skubal when their return on investment for Flaherty has been average at best?
The Tigers know what they have in Flaherty. At his best – which Tigers fans saw last season when he was one of the top trade assets at the deadline – he's a postseason starter on a World Series-caliber team. At his worst, he can't be relied upon.