The Pirates dropped the series opener to the Tigers Monday night, 8-to-5 at PNC Park, and it got away from them early. Detroit built an 8-to-1 lead behind Kevin McGonigle, who went 2-for-6 with two RBIs, including a two-run homer in the second inning, his 13th of the year. Zach McKinstry, Hao-Yu Lee, and Brett Callahan all drove in runs as well, and starter Carmen Mlodzinski had another rough outing — just three innings, eight hits, four earned runs, continuing a difficult recent stretch. The Pirates bullpen didn’t help matters either, as Yohan Ramirez walked three straight batters in the sixth.
Pittsburgh didn’t go quietly, though — Nick Yorke’s bases-clearing double and a Henry Davis RBI single fueled a four-run sixth inning that made it interesting, but Detroit’s bullpen closed it out, with Kenley Jansen picking up his 15th save.
The loss drops the Pirates to 61-and-65, a rough 11-and-18 since the All-Star break, and now six games back of the final N-L Wild Card spot. Still, there’s a silver lining — Pittsburgh’s .257 team batting average ranks third in all of baseball, led by Brandon Lowe’s 26 homers, Nick Gonzales hitting .307, and Bryan Reynolds’ .810 OPS.
The two teams play again tonight at seven-oh-five at PNC Park, with Braxton Ashcraft on the mound for Pittsburgh opposite Detroit’s Keider Montero.
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