The Detroit Tigers dropped the series opener in Arlington against the Texas Rangers on Thursday night, 10-4, snapping their three-game winning streak. Framber Valdez got shelled for the second straight time and the bullpen was not much better; the offense did show a little bit of pop, but it was not nearly enough to make up for the hemorrhaging pitching performance.<\/p>\n
After a day off on Friday, the two teams will face off again on the Fourth of July in what hopefully turns out to be a fireworks show for the Motor City Kitties. Right-hander Jack Flaherty will take the mound looking to continue his recent stretch of success after posting a 2.50 ERA and 1.72 FIP over his four June starts, although he has not been able to get past the five-inning mark since May.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old\u2019s last start was one of his best, tossing five frames of scoreless ball on two hits and three walks while striking out nine in a game that the Tigers ultimately lost in extra innings, 7-5. It was one of just two scoreless outings for Flaherty this season, with the other also being a five-inning effort back on June 2, when Detroit clobbered the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Pete, 8-0.<\/p>\n
Taking the mound for the Rangers is fellow righty Kumar Rocker, who appears to be settling in his third year of big league action. The 26-year-old hurler put up mixed results last month, but finished it off with his fifth quality start of the season, throwing six innings of shutout ball on four hits and a walk while striking out five on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays, taking a no-decision in a 3-2 team win.<\/p>\n
Here is a look at how the two match up on paper in Saturday afternoon\u2019s matinee matchup.<\/p>\n
Detroit Tigers (38-50) vs. Texas Rangers (45-43)<\/p>\n