The Pittsburgh Pirates fell to an 8-7 loss against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, finishing their regular season record at 81-79 after a late offensive surge came up short. Despite a five-run eighth-inning rally by Pittsburgh, Detroit held on to secure the victory and move to 75-85 on the year.
Early Scoring and Detroit Rallies
Pittsburgh opened the scoring in the top of the second inning against Detroit starter Jackson Jobe. Ryan O’Hearn drove in Oneil Cruz with an RBI single to right field, followed immediately by an RBI double from Spencer Horwitz that plated O’Hearn for a 2-0 lead. Detroit answered in the bottom half of the frame when Spencer Torkelson hit a two-out, two-run triple off Pirates pitcher Bubba Chandler, capitalizing on a diving attempt in right field by Jake Mangum.
The Tigers broke the game open in the third inning with a four-run rally, all coming with two outs. Dillon Dingler lofted a two-run single over shortstop Konnor Griffin, and two additional runs scored later in the frame on a strike-three wild pitch that allowed Torkelson to reach first base. Detroit extended its lead to 7-2 in the sixth when a grounder by Dingler went through Griffin’s legs into left-center, allowing Eduardo Valencia to score from second base. Torkelson added a solo home run to left-center off Wilber Dotel in the seventh inning to make it an 8-2 ballgame.
Eighth-Inning Comeback Falls Short
Trailing by six runs, the Pirates mounted a five-run rally with two outs in the top of the eighth against the Detroit bullpen. Nick Gonzales drove in the first run with an single off Austin Sears, ending a streak of eight unanswered Tiger runs. O’Hearn followed with an RBI single to left-center, and after a mound visit, Rafael Flores Jr. hit a three-run home run to left-center to pull Pittsburgh within one run at 8-7. However, the Tigers maintained their advantage through the final frame to close out the win.
Individual Performances and Milestones
Spencer Torkelson led Detroit’s offense, finishing a single shy of the cycle with a triple, double, and a solo home run. For Pittsburgh, Oneil Cruz reached a notable milestone by securing back-to-back 20-homer, 30-stolen base seasons, joining Barry Bonds (1990-92) and Andy Val Slyke (1987-88) as the only Pirates to accomplish the feat.
Bubba Chandler struggled in his start, lasting just 2.2 innings—matching the shortest outing of his career—while yielding four hits, six runs, four walks, and two strikeouts across 77 pitches. Despite the tough finale, Chandler became the tenth pitcher in franchise history to make 30 starts in his rookie season, joining a group that includes Paul Maholm in 2006.
Upcoming Schedule
The Pirates conclude their schedule with a bullpen game on Saturday afternoon. Right-hander Justin Verlander is slated to make the final start of his career for Detroit, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET.