Tigers vs – Detroit’s four-game winning streak ended Saturday with a 4-0 loss to Seattle at Comerica Park, and the Tigers’ shot at a second-straight series win on Sunday comes down to right-hander Jack Flaherty facing Luis Castillo in the series finale.
Detroit’s four-game winning streak didn’t just stop—it snapped, Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park when Seattle handed Keider Montero and Co. a 4-0 loss.
So Sunday becomes the swing game the Tigers can’t afford to waste. They still have a chance to win their second-straight series, but they’ll need a turnaround in front of their home crowd with right-hander Jack Flaherty on the mound.
Flaherty, 30, is coming off his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays, where he shut the opponent out over five innings. He allowed five hits and two walks and struck out six, picking up his first win of the season in an 8-0 triumph in St. Petersburg.
The picture gets sharper when you look at how he’s handled Seattle before. His last appearance versus the Mariners came in the ALDS Game 5 last September, when he threw two scoreless, hitless frames in the 13th and 14th innings. Detroit ultimately lost that game 3-2.
Flaherty also started Game 3 against Seattle in the ALDS last fall, and it went the other direction. He surrendered four runs (three earned) on four hits, including a home run, while walking three and striking out six across 3 1/3 innings in an 8-4 loss.
For Seattle, the mound matchup brings right-hander Luis Castillo making his 10th start of the season. The 33-year-old has also spent time in relief recently. including his most recent outing. when he earned a blown save and a win after giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts over five frames against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Seattle.
Castillo’s ALDS history against Detroit last fall runs parallel to Flaherty’s. In two appearances—once as a starter and once as a reliever—Castillo limited the Tigers to just one hit while issuing four walks, striking out four over six scoreless frames in both outings that resulted in team wins.
The two teams head into the series finale with different recent momentum but the same need for results: Detroit is 26-39, Seattle is 34-31.
In the matchup on Sunday afternoon, the numbers are clear even before the first pitch—Flaherty enters with a 1-7 record and a 5.31 ERA, while Castillo is 2-5 with a 5.53 ERA.
Game information for Sunday’s rubber match is set for 1:40 p.m. ET at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan.
The matchup: Detroit Tigers vs. Seattle Mariners, with RHP Jack Flaherty (1-7, 5.31 ERA) taking on RHP Luis Castillo (2-5, 5.53 ERA).
Detroit Tigers Seattle Mariners Jack Flaherty Luis Castillo Comerica Park ALDS Game 5 series finale