The Detroit Tigers found themselves on the wrong end of a sweep Wednesday afternoon, falling 4-0 to the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park. Despite a dominant performance from starter Jack Flaherty, who struck out 10 batters over five innings, defensive miscues proved to be the team's undoing.

Flaherty was electric early, striking out the first five hitters he faced and five of the last six, but he was let down by the defense behind him. The right-hander allowed four runs—only two of which were earned—and took the loss, dropping to 0-3 on the season.

The turning point came in the fourth inning with two outs and runners on first and second. Third baseman Colt Keith couldn't handle a grounder off the bat of Carlos Narvaez, allowing both Masataka Yoshida and Ceddanne Rafaela to score and give Boston a 4-0 lead. It was a costly error in a game where every run mattered.

The defensive struggles didn't start there. In the third inning, Keith deflected a Marcelo Mayer grounder, leading to an infield single to open the frame. After Narvaez was hit by a pitch, first baseman Spencer Torkelson dropped a foul pop-up, giving Caleb Durbin a second chance. Durbin made the Tigers pay, doubling home Mayer, and Narvaez later scored on a Wilson Contreras sacrifice fly.

For a team already dealing with a rash of injuries, sound defense is essential to staying competitive. Wednesday's performance showed just how quickly things can unravel when the gloves don't cooperate.

Boston's Sonny Gray (3-1) was sharp over five innings, allowing just three hits and no runs while walking two and striking out two. The Red Sox improved to 16-21 with the sweep, while the Tigers slipped to 18-20.

Off the field, the Tigers were without manager A.J. Hinch, who served a one-game suspension for his role in Tuesday's incident when pitcher Framber Valdez intentionally threw at Boston's Trevor Story. Valdez received a five-game suspension after dropping an appeal, and he will miss his next scheduled start Sunday in Kansas City. Bench coach George Lombard managed the club in Hinch's absence.

For Tigers fans, the takeaway is clear: Flaherty is dealing, but the team needs to tighten up defensively to give him—and themselves—a fighting chance.