The Detroit Tigers appear to be charging headfirst into the All-Star break. This follows securing a 4-1 win over the Athletics on Thursday night, a victory which helped to secure the sweep. That result also made it six victories in seven tries so far in July for the Tigers. The team is now opening up the final series before the Midsummer Classic, where they will face the Philadelphia Phillies.
Tigers’ Momentum and Flaherty’s Recent Form
In their recent triumph against the Athletics, Jake Rogers hit another homer. Eduardo Valencia also cranked one in his first MLB plate appearance, contributing to the scoring. Framber Valdez gave his team seven strong frames of one-run ball, leading the Olde English D in its triumph.
Right-hander Jack Flaherty is set to open the series for the Tigers. Flaherty has turned a corner since the start of June, according to reports. He has become an asset for the Tigers’ rotation over this period.
The 30-year-old pitcher has posted a tidy 2.50 ERA over his last five starts, stretching across 18 frames. He also boasts an impressive 1.73 FIP across these five starts. The only problem noted is that he still cannot seem to crack that six-inning barrier. Jack Flaherty’s season record is currently 2-8, with a 4.60 ERA.
Aaron Nola’s Ongoing Struggles for Philadelphia
Opposite Flaherty, the Philadelphia Phillies will start fellow righty Aaron Nola. Nola is currently in the midst of his second-straight season of struggles. He has, however, seen some modest improvements over his 2025 campaign.
The 33-year-old has posted a 6.11 ERA over seven games since the start of June. His FIP stands at 5.30 over the same period, with these seven games stretching across 35 1/3 innings.
Nola tossed a quality start in his last outing against the Kansas City Royals. In that game, he surrendered three runs on seven hits on zero walks while striking out seven batters over seven frames. Despite this performance, he was ultimately saddled with the loss in a 5-2 final at Kaufman Stadium.
This recent quality start marked the first time in five games that Nola did not give up the long ball. Prior to this, he had served up a pair of home runs in each of the four games before. Aaron Nola’s season record stands at 3-6, with a 5.87 ERA.
The Match-Up Ahead
Here is a look at how Flaherty and Nola match up on paper heading into the weekend series.
The game is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET and will take place at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. Media coverage will be provided by Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, and the Tigers Radio Network.
This particular fixture will be Game 94 for the Tigers. The match-up pits RHP Jack Flaherty (2-8, 4.60 ERA) against RHP Aaron Nola (3-6, 5.87 ERA).