Will Detroit Tigers run away with AL Central?
The Days of Roar podcast breaks down the competition the Detroit Tigers face in the AL Central. Can the Tigers maintain first place in the division?
Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty has been working behind the scenes for months on his mechanics, searching to repeat his optimal delivery in games.
That search has led to some struggles.
Everything clicked into place Tuesday, May 27, against the San Francisco Giants at Comerica Park. The 29-year-old guided the Tigers to a 3-1 win with his best performance of the season, delivering six scoreless innings.
Flaherty — who threw 97 pitches — struck out eight batters while allowing just two hits and one walk. His fastball command was the biggest beneficiary of his repeatable delivery.
His fastball was the best it has been in 2025.
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The Tigers (36-20) scored one run apiece in the first, second and third innings to support Flaherty’s strong start.
Wenceel Pérez hit a solo home run in his return from the injured list, creating damage on the third pitch he saw with his first swing; Riley Greene — hitting .280 with an .850 OPS this season — finished 3-for-4 with one single, two doubles and two RBIs.
But Flaherty deserves credit for his poise on the mound, especially after working around leadoff singles — one from Mike Yastrzemski in a grueling 26-pitch first inning and another from Willy Adames in a smoother eight-pitch second inning.
Those were the only two hits against him.
He also retired the final 11 batters he faced, including five strikeouts during that stretch.
Flaherty owns a 3.94 ERA in 11 starts.
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Riley Greene rakes
Giants right-hander Logan Webb — an All-Star last season and a top-six finisher in National League Cy Young voting in the past two seasons — allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk with 10 strikeouts across six innings, throwing 104 pitches.
The Tigers made him work in the early innings.
Webb used 49 pitches to complete two innings, then 71 pitches to complete three innings.
In the first, Greene doubled off Webb’s down-and-in changeup to score Gleyber Torres for a 1-0 lead. In the second, Pérez cranked a solo home run off Webb’s middle-in sinker for a 2-0 lead. In the third, Greene singled off Webb’s middle-in cutter to score Colt Keith for a 3-0 lead.
The three hits from Greene: a double with a 114.5 mph exit velocity in the first inning, a single with a 94.8 mph exit velocity in the third inning and a double with a 104.7 mph exit velocity in the fifth inning.
Greene has 38 RBIs in 54 games.
He is on pace for a career-high 110 RBIs this season.
Getting to the finish line
Flaherty exited after six innings.
That meant the Tigers’ bullpen needed to cover the final three innings, protecting a 3-0 advantage.
Right-handed reliever Chase Lee took down the first two innings, inducing a double play for the first and second outs in the eighth. He then struck out Yastrzemski swinging with an 88.5 mph four-seam fastball at the top of the strike zone.
In the ninth, right-handed reliever Will Vest allowed back-to-back hits to Heliot Ramos (single) and Wilmer Flores (RBI double) — trimming the Tigers’ lead to 3-1 — but he retired the next three batters for his seventh save in nine opportunities.
Vest has emerged as the Tigers’ preferred option for save situations.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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