Flaherty beginning to 'pull it all together for the season'
Bill Ladson
@ladsonbill24NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty made his second start of the spring -- third if you count the simulated game he threw last week -- and pitched four scoreless innings, striking out two during a 3-1 victory over the Braves on Tuesday afternoon at CoolToday Park.
The stat line doesn’t tell the entire story. Flaherty had to work hard for his outs. The command was a little erratic. In fact, he found himself in deep counts four times during the game and walked two hitters. But -- for this day, anyway -- that was OK with manager A.J. Hinch.
“He had some higher pitch counts -- over 20 pitches in one of those innings, which, believe it or not, is good work,” Hinch said. “It’s not something you want to necessarily prescribe, but when he had to do it, it’s as season-like as it can get when things get a little more serious. It was a good overall work day.
“He utilized a few secondary pitches, and he let it go in the fourth with his fastball and was able to get a good double play. It was a good work day for a guy who is trying to pull it all together for the season.”
Flaherty acknowledged there were some things to clean up as far as his pitches were concerned. The sinker is still a work in progress. Last year, for example, opposing hitters went 3-for-6 (.500) with a homer against the pitch. And Flaherty’s second best pitch – the slider– wasn’t good during the game, he said.
“I have some things to clear up – get to the glove side. I didn’t do that real well today,” he said.
Flaherty is expected to slot into the rotation right behind ace Tarik Skubal. Flaherty will make his first regular-season start against his old team, the Dodgers, in Los Angeles on March 28 at Dodger Stadium. It’s a big deal for Flaherty because he was raised in the City of Angels and helped the Dodgers win the World Series title last season after they acquired his services before MLB Trade Deadline. Flaherty will be in attendance for the ring ceremony the day before his start.
“There are a lot of things going on. It will be fun going back there. It will be a different situation from the last time I was there,” Flaherty said. “It will be fun to compete against these guys. It’s the biggest thing when you compete against guys who are really good. … It’s weird to end it there and start [the season] there. Everything is going to go on opening weekend.”
McKinstry garners praise from Hinch
It doesn’t seem to matter that Zach McKinstry is off to a slow start at the plate this spring. He has been Detroit's all-purpose player. Last season, for example, McKinstry played every position except for first base and catcher. By the postseason, he saw a lot of time at third base.
Maybe Hinch said it best: "He makes the roster function properly." McKinstry is the perfect fill-in at the perfect moment when the Tigers need it the most. Hinch also called McKinstry the most impactful baserunner on the team. He is not afraid to take the extra base, and his speed goes without saying.
“Obviously, I love this kid, and I watched him go from brand new the first day of the season when he joined us in 2023 to now -- in the center of how our team operates,” Hinch said. “He just takes the glove and goes over to third base and figures it out. He will go a day or two without playing, come in and prepare for that role.
“There were parts of last season -- August -- he was arguably one of our top 3 offensive players. That gets overshadowed in a six-month season of uncertainty of when you are going to get to play.”