Jack Flaherty says what every Tigers fan is thinking with latest Instagram post

On Monday, Jack Flaherty shared an Instagram post from Tim Grover that cut through the kind of soft framing teams often use when things are going poorly: “The score is the score.”

For Detroit Tigers fans, that probably felt a little too familiar.

The Tigers' season has not gone according to plan, and Flaherty’s individual struggles have become one of the more frustrating pieces of that larger disappointment. He is still searching for his first win of the 2026 campaign — and while pitcher wins are hardly the cleanest measure of performance, the broader point remains difficult to ignore. The Tigers have needed more from Flaherty, and lately, they simply have not gotten it.

Flaherty's last start against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday was another reminder of how quickly things have unraveled. He lasted just 3 1/3 innings, allowed two home runs and was charged with six runs, three of them earned.

In fairness, the defense didn't help Flaherty against Baltimore. The offense has not always supported him. But the right-hander also did not give Detroit the kind of start it needed from a veteran arm trying to help stabilize a team that has been slipping in the standings.

Jack Flaherty's struggles are a microcosm of the Tigers' disappointing 2026 season

The biggest issue for Flaherty has been the free passes. When he's right, he attacks hitters, misses bats, and gives the Tigers a chance to win. When he's not, the walks pile up, the pitch count climbs, and one mistake turns into a lopsided number before Detroit can even settle into the game.

That is why the Instagram post resonated. Tigers fans have heard every version of the excuse by now. The record does not tell the whole story. The team is better than this. There are positives to take away. They are close.

Maybe some of that is true. But at some point, the score is the score.

For Flaherty, that has to become the mindset every fifth day — not because his job is necessarily on the line with each outing, but because the Tigers cannot afford many more starts that force the bullpen into action by the fourth inning. If Detroit is going to claw its way back into the race, it needs Flaherty pitching like every start matters (because it does).

No more moral victories. No more “almost.” No more explaining away the results. The score is the score. And the Tigers need Flaherty to start changing it.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow