The News’ Tony Paul gives his quick takes on the Tigers’ 8-6 loss to the Red Sox on Monday:
One thing I loved
Jahmai Jones’ season was stuck in the mud for most of the first three weeks, when opponents seemed to think it was against the law to use a left-handed starting pitcher against them. Jones is on this team solely to hit lefties, thanks to that .970 OPS against southpaws in 2025. But it took until Game 19 for him to get his first start of 2026.
He got the sporadic pinch-hit opportunities early in the year, but that’s a tough gig, and it showed in the numbers. He was 0-for-10 (some of those at-bats off right-handers, having stayed in the game after pinch-hitting against a lefty), and then got a nasty bout of the flu, before he finally got his first start of the year Thursday. Since then, the Tigers have faced a flurry of left-handed starters, and right on cue, Jones’s bat has perked up, with five hits, a home run and three RBIs in his last 11 at-bats.
That included a pinch-hit RBI single to give the Tigers the 3-2 lead in Monday’s game, on an 0-2 pitch from Red Sox lefty Jovani Moran in the sixth inning. It was just the second hit on an 0-2 pitch in Jones’ major-league career.
One thing I didn’t
The command issues with Tigers starter Jack Flaherty remain maddening. He had six more walks in Monday’s start, including three in the Red Sox two-run second inning, one with the bases loaded.
Here’s Flaherty, start by start in 2026:
The six walks were Flaherty’s most in a start with the Tigers, one off his career high, in 189 career starts. He also had command issues throwing to third base Monday (on a day when the Tigers defense, on a whole, was a hot mess). That error that helped fuel the Red Sox rally in the second. Flaherty left the mound, none too pleased.
Three stars
(Season total in parentheses)
Hao-Yu Lee — Hey, you can’t get to 3,000 hits without getting Nos. 1 and 2
Jahmai Jones (3)
Kevin McGonigle (6)
Player of the game
(Season total in parentheses)
Riley Greene (2)
Tigers’ ABS tracker
Hitter challenges: 13-for-29
Catcher/pitcher challenges: 13-for-16
Tigers’ uniform tracker
Traditional home whites: 7-1
Alternate home oranges: 1-0
Traditional road grays: 4-6
Alternate road blues: 0-4
Next Tigers game
Game 24: Brewers at Tigers, 6:40 Tuesday, Detroit SportsNet, 97.1
ICYMI: Yesterday’s Tigers recap
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers, Game 23: One thing I loved, one thing I didn’t
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
