Detroit Tigers, Game 38: One thing I loved, one thing I didn't

The News' Tony Paul gives his quick takes on the Tigers' 4-0 loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday: One thing I loved The easy answer is, the series is over. That's the one thing I loved. It was three days of pure misery for the Tigers, who lost their ace , lost their cool — and, as a result, their manager for one game and their second-best starter (and alleged new ace) for five games — and they lost all three games.

They entered the series with three losses at home all season, and three days later, they were embarrassingly swept by a Red Sox team that not even two weeks ago fired their World Series-winning manager and five coaches. Woof. Fine time to skip town, methinks.

But there was actually one bright spot Wednesday, and that was Jack Flaherty. The Tigers need starting-pitching solutions, and Flaherty looked much more like 2024 Flaherty than 2026 Flaherty in the series finale, striking out the first five batters of the game and 10 for the game. The 10 strikeouts were his most in a game since August 2024, after the Tigers had traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He absolutely pounded the zone, with 70% of his pitches for strikes. It was his best strike percentage of the season, by a wide margin. Problem is, Flaherty only lasted five innings, and he left the game trailing, 4-0, but I can't in good conscience put this one him.