Michigan Sports

Tigers place right-hander Flaherty on 15-day IL

CHICAGO (AP) -- The Detroit Tigers placed right-hander Jack Flaherty on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with right flexor inflammation.

Flaherty pitched four innings in Monday night’s 8-6 victory at the Chicago Cubs. He allowed three runs and four hits.

The 30-year-old Flaherty is 3-8 with a 4.59 ERA in 19 starts this season. He finalized a $35 million, two-year contract with Detroit in February 2025.

“It wasn’t a clear-cut IL when we woke up this morning, and then as the day went on and the more (opinions) we got, the more we realized he wasn’t going to pitch in five or six days,” manager A.J. Hinch said.

Ty Madden was recalled from Triple-A Toledo, putting a fresh arm in Detroit’s weary bullpen. The right-hander replaced Framber Valdez with two outs in the first and pitched 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball in Tuesday night’s 11-2 loss at Wrigley Field.

The Tigers used four relievers to cover 4 2/3 innings in Sunday’s 3-2 loss at the Los Angeles Angels. Then they used five relievers for six innings in their series opener against the Cubs.

Infielder Zach McKinstry and catcher Jake Rogers each pitched one inning on Tuesday night.

“The two position players helped us get to the finish line,” Hinch said. “Today was like live to play another day.”

The 26-year-old Madden has no record and a 3.09 ERA in eight appearances for Detroit this year. He is 2-0 with a 4.71 ERA in 11 starts and one relief appearance with Toledo.

“There’s a little different edge and sort of a different attention to detail, I think, when he gets to the big leagues and he’s performed really well here,” Hinch said. “He challenges the strike zone. He’s got a tough, tough combo with his slider and split. Somebody I do trust a lot to pitch in a variety of roles.”

Hinch said Justin Verlander was the first player from the team to arrive at the ballpark on Tuesday. The 43-year-old right-hander, who plans to retire after this season, is coming back from hip and hamstring injuries.

“His arm’s still moving,” Hinch said. “We haven’t gotten to the mound yet. Once that happens, then we can start to lay out a little bit of a longer plan.”

THORNTON INJURED

CHICAGO (AP) -- Cubs reliever Trent Thornton is day to day with a bruised left heel after he was struck by a comebacker.

Thornton had a CT scan on Tuesday that showed no fractures. He played catch before the Cubs’ 11-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers, and the right-hander was optimistic about avoiding a stint on the injured list.

“I got very lucky,” he said. “Definitely a lot of positive signs today.”

Thornton came in to pitch the 10th inning in the Cubs’ series opener against the Tigers. But he was helped off the field after he was hit by Riley Greene’s 108.9 mph liner.

The 32-year-old Thornton credited his Mizuno cleats with helping him avoid serious injury. He was wearing a model with a hard shell right at the heel, while his other cleats have a soft outer shell for that area of the foot.

The Cubs used seven relievers during Monday night’s 8-6 loss, but they are off on Thursday.

Thornton got hurt on the same day that fellow reliever Phil Maton went on the 15-day IL for the third time this season with right knee tendinitis.

Manager Craig Counsell said Maton received a platelet-rich plasma injection on Tuesday. He is expected to have no significant activity for the next three weeks.

Utilityman Matt Shaw is traveling to the team’s complex in Arizona this weekend and may start swinging a bat soon. Shaw was placed on the IL on June 29 with a sprained left hand.

“The good news was the additional imaging showed improved healing,” Counsell said. “That makes Matt feel good, obviously, so we just got to get through the last little bit.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong reached five times on two hits and three walks in the Cubs victory on Tuesday.

Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly each drove in two runs, and Michael Conforto connected for a two-run homer. Dansby Swanson had two hits and scored three times.