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Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty gets injection for back pain, ready to face Justin Verlander
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- Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty gets injection for back pain, ready to face Justin Verlander
Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty , who hasn't pitched since June 4 with low back tightness , received an injection to relieve pain Monday, played catch Wednesday and completed a bullpen session Thursday.
"It was a shot," Flaherty said.
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Flaherty has recovered from the lower back injury and feels ready to start Saturday against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park, facing legendary pitcher Justin Verlander .
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The upcoming showdown marks the second time Flaherty and Verlander have pitched against each other this season. In the May 12 matchup, the Tigers lost, 9-3, as Verlander completed seven scoreless innings , whereas Flaherty allowed three runs across 6⅔ innings.
"I'll be good for Saturday," Flaherty said. "It's something that we got done. I feel better. I feel in a good place about things."
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch relieves pitcher Jack Flaherty, center, during the seventh inning against the Red Sox of the Tigers' 5-0 win on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at Fenway Park.
More importantly, Flaherty has avoided a stint on the injured list.
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The 28-year-old has a 3.22 ERA with 10 walks and 94 strikeouts across 72⅔ innings in 12 starts in the 2024 season. He exited his June 4 start against the Texas Rangers after throwing 60 pitches across five scoreless innings.
"We gauged it over the weekend," Flaherty said. "I was in a place where I could probably throw and do the next one. It was then just about, are we going to deal with this again every five days, or can we fix it and clean it up to where it's not something that we're dealing with each time?"
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Flaherty dealt with the same low back pain at the beginning of the 2023 season with the St. Louis Cardinals . An injection in his low back took away the pain for more than a year, until now.
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"It was one of those things," Flaherty said. "Instead of trying to deal with it in between each time, or worrying within the start, just go ahead and get it cleaned it up and be at a point where we don't have to worry about it."
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Flaherty signed a one-year, $14 million contract last offseason, and as long as he stays healthy, he will command a multi-year contract in free agency this winter. He represents the Tigers' best trade chip at the July 30 trade deadline.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty takes injection in back, ready to pitch
