The Detroit Tigers (31-32) have been wallowing in mediocrity for about a decade now, as their last playoff appearance was in 2014. However, the team received good news on Saturday amid its homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers that could be a silver lining.
Right-handed pitchers Jack Flaherty and Kenta Maeda are both on track to play next week, via MLB.com.
“After undergoing imaging on his back on Thursday, Flaherty played catch on Friday and said afterwards he felt good,” the league's website said. “He’ll continue to progress as his back allows, but there’s cautious optimism he’ll be ready to start at some point next week. The Tigers are off next Monday, allowing them more time to evaluate Flaherty as well as Kenta Maeda, who left his start Wednesday at Texas after just two pitches with right-side abdominal discomfort.”
Flaherty was in the midst of a solid season before going down with lower back tightness. The 2014 first-round pick sports a 3.22 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP and 94 strikeouts across 72.2 innings. He's been Detroit's second-best pitcher, behind ace Tarik Skubal.
On the other hand, Maeda has gotten off to a slower start. The Japanese international has recorded a 6.25 ERA with a 1.41 WHIP and 30 strikeouts across 40.1 innings. However, the 36-year-old has been pitching far below his normal level (4.02 career ERA), which could've been partially caused by his abdominal discomfort.
“In regards to Kenta and Jack, time is on our side,” manager A.J. Hinch said, “so we’re not under any pressure to make a decision. We’ll see how they feel day to day. Today was encouraging.”
Will the Tigers significantly improve with Maeda and Flaherty fully healthy?
Maeda will need to improve for the Tigers now that health is back on his side
Maeda got lucky that he wasn't more seriously hurt Wednesday, as he got pulled after just two pitches against the Rangers, via MLB.com. The veteran hurler simply needed to rest from soreness, as he discovered after throwing long toss on Friday.
“Based on how I felt today throwing-wise, I think I can go,” Maeda said.
Hinch was excited by Maeda's attitude, but he's still playing it cautious.
“I always love it when the player is optimistic,” Hinch said. “We’ll have to see some things before we commit to it.”
With Detroit currently in fourth place in the AL Central, the team can't afford any more subpar starts from Maeda. Although it's a long season, it takes a lot of wins to rise from the bottom to the top of the standings. If he doesn't regain his form, he could get replaced.
The Tigers will depend heavily on Flaherty as the number two pitcher
On the other side, Flaherty needs to keep doing what he's been doing. The Tigers are hitting just .228 as a team, good for 25th in the league. With the bats struggling that much, it puts even more pressure on the pitchers to keep games as low-scoring as possible. If Detroit finally breaks its playoff drought this year, Flaherty will probably be a big reason why.
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