DETROIT — The situation wasn’t critical. This wasn’t a make-or-break start for Jack Flaherty.

But after a couple of clunkers (15 runs in seven innings in his last two), some progress back toward his norm would be welcomed.

“We expect him to be really good tonight,” manager AJ Hinch said before the game. “But first and foremost, we’re not riding the rollercoaster based on his performances. We’re trying to get him in a more consistent place to make his pitches.

“He hasn’t executed at the level that he can, but today could be the first step back toward that. Whether it’s a mini step forward or a giant step forward.”

How about a medium step?

Flaherty delivered a quality start Wednesday, six solid innings, but he was done one better by Athletics' Jacob Lopez.

The 27-year-old lefty with a 7-foot-1 extension and a quirky arm angle subdued the Tigers on three hits over six innings to help the A's even the series with a 3-0 win at Comerica Park.

The Tigers reach the mid-point of the schedule with a 50-31 record and a nine game lead atop the American League Central Division.

Flaherty struck out seven and got 19 whiffs on 42 swings, an indication that his stuff was crisp. He also used all five of his pitches, something he hadn’t done in his previous two starts.

He set that tone immediately. His first five pitches – in a clean six-pitch first inning – were four-seam, changeup, knuckle-curve, slider and sinker.

By using all the tools in his kit, he was better able to keep the Athletics’ hitters off-balance, evidenced by the 13 called strikes he got with his four-seamer, which sat at 93 mph and hit 96.

The one ugly number on the stat line was the four walks, which he paid a dear price for in the third inning.

The three Athletics runs came off one mighty swing of the bat by first baseman Nick Kurtz, who sent a changeup from Flaherty 438 feet into the second level of shrubs beyond the center field wall.

The blast was preceded by a pair of walks and one missed tag at second base.

It looked like Flaherty was out of the inning when he struck out Jacob Wilson and catcher Dillon Dingler fired a strike to second base to thwart a base-stealing attempt by Lawrence Butler.

The ball beat Butler and second baseman Gleyber Torres slapped the tag down, but Butler evaded it with a swim move. The Tigers challenged the call and at least one replay angle seemed to show that Butler’s front hand came off the bag while Torres was still applying the tag.

But replay officials ruled it inconclusive and Butler was safe.

Flaherty then left a 1-1 changeup toward the bottom of the strike zone but in the middle of the plate and the ball left Kurtz’s bat at 108 mph.

“For me, him giving our team a chance to win is the No. 1 priority,” Hinch said.

He did that. Except the bats couldn’t solve Lopez, who shut the Tigers out on three hits over seven innings.

He had the Tigers in between his four-seamer and slider (21 called strikes) the entire outing. He also effectively mixed changeups and cutters to the right-handed hitters.

Lopez allowed two runners in scoring position, a two-out double by Jahmai Jones in the sixth and a one-out triple by Wenceel Perez in the seventh.

The Athletics’ outfield saved at least one run in the eighth inning. With right-handed reliever Michael Kelly in for Lopez, left fielder Tyler Soderstrom stole extra bases from Javier Baez with a sliding catch in the left field corner.

After Torres’ doubled in the right-center gap, speedy center fielder Denzel Clarke made an outstanding running catch of a slicing liner by pinch-hitter Colt Keith that would have scored Torres.

The ninth inning belonged to the Athletics' gifted closer Mason Miller, who was mixing vexing sliders off triple-digit heaters. He struck out Riley Greene with a 101-mph heater and Spencer Torkelson with 102.8. He ended the game getting Perez to ground out.

It was the fifth time this season the Tigers have been shut out.

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