The Detroit Tigers lost 5-4 to the Texas Rangers after a late-game stall. Despite tying the game at 4-4, they couldn't maintain momentum at Comerica Park.
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The Detroit Tigers let one slip away Friday night, and it didnât sit well.
After climbing out of a 4-0 hole to tie the game, Detroit went quiet late and dropped a frustrating 5-4 decision to the Texas Rangers at Comerica Park. It was the kind of game that felt there for the taking, especially with momentum on their side early in a homestand.
Detroit showed resilience after falling behind early, putting together quality at-bats and grinding its way back against MacKenzie Gore. The Tigers werenât hitting for power, but they were productive, stringing together traffic and driving in runs to even the game at 4-4.
Once they got there, though, the offense went quiet.
The Tigers had some loud contact late, including multiple hard-hit fly balls in the eighth inning, but nothing found grass. At Comerica Park, especially to center field, those balls often die in gloves. The result was another night where Detroit did enough to make the game winnable, then failed to finish it.
The biggest issue was Jack Flaherty, who struggled badly from the start. He fell behind in counts, issued walks, and when he did come into the zone, Texas made him pay.
Detroit is dealing with rotation injuries, and that context matters. But Flahertyâs current form is making every fifth day feel like an uphill climb. The Tigers were down 4-0 because their starter could not give them clean innings, and the offense had to spend the rest of the night digging out.
For a team trying to find consistency, that is becoming a major problem.
This was not a night to blame the bullpen.
Detroitâs relievers gave the Tigers a chance. Brant Hurter, , , , , and others have all taken criticism at different points this season, but the group that followed Flaherty largely did its job Friday night.
The final score was 5-4 in favor of the Texas Rangers.
The Tigers showed resilience by tying the game at 4-4 after being down 4-0.
The Tigers went quiet late in the game and could not secure the win after tying it.
The game took place at Comerica Park.

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The problem was that the Tigers had already been forced into scramble mode. When the starter exits early and the offense has to claw all the way back, the margin for error becomes too small.
Wenceel Perez was one of the bright spots for Detroit. He drove in two runs and added a stolen base, giving the Tigers exactly the kind of energy they needed during their comeback push.
His night was not enough to carry Detroit across the finish line, but he gave the lineup a needed spark on a night when the Tigers had a chance to steal momentum and open the homestand with a win.
The Tigers are now 16-17, and while there is still plenty of baseball left, the back-and-forth nature of this start is getting old.
Detroit has shown flashes. The problem is that every step forward seems to come with another step back. A comeback win Friday would have been a strong way to reset the tone at Comerica Park. Instead, the Tigers are left looking at another missed opportunity.
At some point, the Tigers have to stop leaning on the âlong seasonâ excuse and start winning games they should win. Friday night was one of them.