The Detroit Tigers wrapped up their homestand on Thursday afternoon with an 11-0 shellacking of the Minnesota Twins to give the team its seventh win in nine tries so far in June. Already, AJ Hinch and Co. have exceeded their win total for May with just under 2/3 of the month remaining.
Not too shabby.
Now, the Motor City Kitties hit the road for another big series against a fellow American League Central rival — the Cleveland Guardians — starting on Friday night at Progressive Field. The Guards have
experienced an opposite level of success in June, winning just three of their nine games so far while bringing a four-game losing streak into the weekend that includes a three-game sweep at home against the New York Yankees.
The Tigers will open up with right-hander Jack Flaherty, who was cruising through five innings against the Seattle Mariners last time out before getting knocked out in the sixth. The 30-year-old’s final line saw him surrender three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out seven over five frames in what eventually turned out to be a 5-4 victory for Detroit.
Flaherty last faced Cleveland in the 2025 AL Wildcard series, in which he gave his team 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball on three hits and two walks while striking out four in a 6-3 team win.
Up against him for the Guardians will be fellow righty Tanner Bibee, who is coming off his best start of the year on the road against the Texas Rangers. The 27-year-old gave his team eight frames of shutout ball on three hits and two walks while striking out just three to earn his first and only win of the 2026 campaign.
That effort just barely outdid his previous performance against Detroit this season back on May 20, when he also went eight innings, surrendering just one run on four hits and a walk while striking out three. However, the Olde English D ultimately prevailed that day in 10 innings, 3-2.
Take a look below at how the two match up on Friday night.
Detroit Tigers (29-40) vs. Cleveland Guardians (37-33)
Time (ET): 7:10 p.m.
Place: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
SB Nation Site: Covering the Corner
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 70: RHP Jack Flaherty (1-7, 5.31 ERA) vs. RHP Tanner Bibee (1-7, 4.09 ERA)
FLAHERTY
BIBEE
