The Detroit Tigers finished their season-long 10-game homestand with another blown lead from the bullpen in the final innings in the series finale against the Houston Astros at Comerica Park on Sunday, June 28.
The Astros rallied from a three-run deficit with two home runs in the seventh and eighth innings before driving in four runs off Kenley Jansen in the top of the 10th inning.
The Tigers got two runs back on a Spencer Torkelson home run, but the last-grasp rally ended there in the 7-5 loss. The Tigers (35-49) lost five of the final six games on the homestand.
Detroit put itself in the driver’s seat early thanks to Jack Flaherty, who threw five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in his first start back from the 15-day injured list. He missed bats and navigated a few jams for one of his best starts of the season.
The Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead early behind a home run from Zach McKinstry and a Kevin McGonigle run off an error. McKinstry’s second-inning shot was his third home run of 2026 and first since June 11. It was the second home run allowed by Astros starter and St. Clair Shores native Hunter Brown this season.
The Tigers held onto the lead thanks to Flaherty’s solid start until two Astros home runs off Tigers relievers Tyler Holton and Kyle Finnegan tied the game in the eighth inning. The Tigers loaded the bases in the ninth and had runners at the corners in the 10th with two outs, but Matt Vierling‘s long fly ball to right field was caught at the warning track.
1 / 22 / 2Flaherty was sharp in his first game back, firing his third shutout start of 2026. He pitched five scoreless innings, giving up two hits and three walks.
His day started by getting All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña to chase a slider for strike three and ended his start by freezing All-Star Yordan Alvarez with a 94.8 mph fastball barely clipping the bottom of the strike zone. Flaherty had two strikeouts in four of his five innings.
He threw 50 four-seam fastballs, 21 sliders, 18 knuckle curveballs and sparingly used a changeup and sinker. The Astros had a hard time squaring up Flaherty’s offspeed, swinging and missing 11 times combined at his slider (6) and curveball (5).
Houston threatened with a leadoff double in the third inning and loaded the bases in the fourth inning, but Flaherty escaped both situations.
Tyler Holton nearly pitched two scoreless innings of relief, but an error with two outs by fielding error on first baseman Colt Keith for failing to scoop a low throw extended the seventh inning. The next pitch, Houston second baseman Raynel Delgado hit his first career MLB home run to make it 3-2.
Isaac Paredes then led off the eighth inning with a solo home run off a middle-middle fastball from Kyle Finnegan to tie it at 3. Finnegan rebounded to strike out three straight hitters.
Jansen walked Yordan Alvarez to start the 10th, putting two runners on, along with the inherited runner at second base in extras. Isaac Paredes drove in one run on a single, and then Christian Walker blew the game wide open with a three-run home run, making it 7-3.
The Tigers found early success against Brown, with four hits in the first two innings. Kerry Carpenter led off the second inning with a single. Then, McKinstry punished a rare mistake from the St. Clair Shores Lakeview and Wayne State alumnus.
McKinstry barreled a middle-middle fastball into the right field bleachers for his third homer of the season and a 2-0 lead.
The Tigers could not garner any more hits off Brown, but still found a way to score in the fifth inning. McGonigle reached via walk and eventually scored on a fielding error by Delgado.
In the ninth inning, Astros closer Josh Hader issued three walks to Ben Malgeri, McGonigle and Jahmai Jones to load the bases for Riley Greene with two outs, but the left fielder struck out swinging on a high fastball.
The Tigers fly to New York for three games against the Yankees (48-34). The Tigers dropped two of three to the Yankees in the series before Houston. The Tigers’ projected starting pitchers are Casey Mize on Monday, Tarik Skubal on Tuesday and Troy Melton on Wednesday. The Yankees’ projected starters are LHP Ryan Weathers, RHP Cam Schlittler and RHP Will Warren.
ContactJared Ramsey at jramsey@freepress.com.
Matchup: Tigers (35-49) at Yankees (48-34 entering Sunday’s late game); series opener.
First pitch: 7:05 p.m. Monday, June 29; Yankee Stadium, New York.
TV/radio: Detroit SportsNet; WXYT-FM (97.1); WDTW-AM (1310; Spanish only).
Probable pitchers: Tigers – RHP Casey Mize (2-5, 2.95 ERA); Yankees – TBD.
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