Framber Valdez Becoming a Problem? Tigers Drop Series Opener to Rangers, 10-4

It was never Detroit's day Thursday.

As July rolls on, the Tigers' record has slipped back to 12 games under .500 after a 10-4 loss to the Texas Rangers. The defeat also brought an end to Detroit's impressive streak of more than 30 consecutive games with a starting pitcher allowing four or fewer earned runs.

Taking the mound for Detroit was big-money free agent signing Framber Valdez, who proceeded to allow five earned runs over five innings. He surrendered nine hits, walked two batters and struck out just one.

Valdez has now allowed nine earned runs on 17 hits while striking out only three hitters over his last two starts. That's a stark contrast from what the Tigers' rotation accomplished against the New York Yankees, when Detroit's starters combined to allow just four hits and one earned run across the entire three-game series before traveling to Texas.

The Tigers' pitching staff has looked like the 1990s Atlanta Braves rotation for much of the season, but there's been one glaring blemish on Detroit's recent comeback, and over the last couple of weeks it's been Framber Valdez. Despite paying him an arm and a leg in free agency, the Tigers simply have no room for error.

Yet even with Valdez struggling in his last two starts, A.J. Hinch continues to keep one of Detroit's best pitchers, Keider Montero, in the bullpen while handing Valdez the ball every fifth day. Valdez has managed just two wins over the last month, and the results haven't justified the continued confidence.

These are the types of decisions that have cost Detroit games throughout the 2026 season. Hinch has continued to pull the wrong cord at seemingly every opportunity this year. Whether it's leaving a pitcher in too long or making an untimely move to the bullpen, those decisions have backfired at an astounding rate. It's something Detroit fans aren't accustomed to seeing from Hinch, who has been such a steady, reliable manager during his tenure with the Tigers and previously with Houston.

Still, even after Texas jumped out to a 5-0 lead and no-hit the Tigers through four innings, Detroit looked ready to inject some of that old "Gritty Tigers" serum into the game.

In the fifth inning, Colt Keith finally gave Detroit its first hit of the afternoon when he launched his sixth home run of the season into right field. The Rangers still held a comfortable 5-1 lead, but the Tigers finally had some life.

Just a couple of batters later, Hao-Yu Lee crushed a deep fly ball that looked like it might be robbed. Rangers center fielder Cameron Cauley leaped at the wall and appeared to make contact with the ball as it barely cleared the fence. The announcers, the fans and everyone watching had no idea whether Cauley had caught it as he remained crouched on the warning track for what felt like an eternity. When he finally stood up without the ball in his glove, Lee had his fourth home run of the season, and suddenly the Tigers had cut the deficit to just two runs.

Unfortunately, a familiar song that's been playing in Tigers fans' ears all season came back louder than ever.

I'm referring to the bullpen, which once again turned a winnable game into another frustrating loss. Combine Detroit's bullpen struggles with what felt like another questionable managerial decision, and the Tigers watched a game they were climbing back into quickly slip away.

Briske threw 1.2 solid innings and had needed only 13 pitches, 10 of them strikes. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Rangers pinch-hit Evan Carter for Cauley. Hinch countered by bringing in Drew Sommers, and once again the move backfired. Sommers allowed a single to Carter, walked Elias Díaz, and then surrendered three straight singles that completely put the game out of reach. He was pulled without recording an out.

The Tigers dropped the opener 10-4. Detroit remains eight games back in the division and now sits seven games behind in the American League Wild Card race. At 38-50 and 12 games under .500, the Tigers can't seem to decide whether they want to be legitimate playoff contenders or simply wave the white flag on the season.

Detroit and Texas will enjoy an unusual Friday off as Dallas hosts World Cup festivities before returning to action on America's 250th birthday. The Tigers and Rangers will meet again Saturday at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. local time) in Texas for Game 2 of the series.