For his next act, Jack Flaherty will try to pitch the Orioles past Houston

Now that he got his first Orioles start out of the way – and it was a good one last Thursday at Toronto’s Rogers Centre – tonight right-hander Jack Flaherty will make his Oriole Park debut for his new team. 

Acquired just minutes before the trade deadline from the St. Louis Cardinals, the 27-year-old Flaherty, a free agent at the end of this season, got the win at Toronto in his O’s debut. He had a shutout going through five on 58 pitches and gave up one run but pitched out of a jam in the Toronto sixth.

It was a solid six-inning outing where he gave up just four hits and a run with two walks and eight strikeouts on 92 pitches. He was getting whiffs on all his pitches and his 19 swings and misses were his second-highest total in 21 starts between two teams. The eight strikeouts was a total he has produced just four times this year and he allowed one run or less for the eighth time between the Cardinals and Orioles.

The day he pitched against the Blue Jays, right-hander Kyle Gibson talked about his new rotation mate.

“When you can bring in a veteran starter that has that kind of track record of getting deep into games and having swing and miss stuff (it's great),” he said. “Being a guy that has playoff experience and has pitched at the highest level of the game. I think he can bring a lot. He’s still really young."

Gibson believes the O's coaches and the Baltimore pitching program can benefit Flaherty.

“I do know that from my conversations with everyone here back to the offseason and spring training, think this group of coaches and the people on the advance side have a lot to offer.

“A lot of that comes down to what Jack feels he needs. Just like they do with me, he is going to lead that conversation and go into where he feels he can be most helped. Once he has a good feel of the people in this organization, the buy in will be there and he’ll have a lot of confidence in the group."

Flaherty had an ERA of 6.29 in early May with St. Louis after giving up 10 runs in an outing against the Los Angeles Angels.

But over his last 13 starts since May 15, he is 6-2 with a 3.30 ERA. Over 76 1/3 he has walked 29, fanned 75 and allowed just four homers. His OPS against is .722 in that span and he has seven quality starts.

In six starts since the beginning of July, he is 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA. 

In Toronto he told reporters how excited he was to join a first-place O’s club.

“It’s exciting to be on a good team. To be on a team that’s in it. There is lot of promise in St. Louis, but things didn’t work out. I’m excited, excited to play my role.

“These guys are playing well and with energy. I mean, it’s an exciting ballclub. You know good when you see it and that’s what it’s been,” Flaherty said of the Orioles.

Tonight, he and the club will try to bounce back after giving up four runs in the ninth last night to lose 7-6 to Houston. Kyle Tucker's grand slam off Felix Bautista turned a three-run Houston deficit into a 7-6 lead and eventual win.

The O's fall to 70-43 and their lead over Tampa Bay atop the AL East was trimmed to two games.

At Toronto, Flaherty threw 42 fastballs among his 92 pitches, averaging 94.1 mph and topping out at a season high 97 mph. He added 28 cutters, 18 curveballs, five sliders and four changeups.

He got swings and misses on eight of 14 offerings at his cutter and on 6 of 10 curveballs. His 41 whiff rate in that outing was strong, getting whiffs on 19 of 46 Toronto swings. 

Now he debuts at home trying to pitch the Birds to a win after Tuesday's disappointing loss and a game that got away.