Detroit had the lead for exactly one batter. Brett Callahan's homer put the Tigers up in the fifth inning, and before the inning was over, Pittsburgh had answered with three runs of its own. That swing decided the game, and Braxton Ashcraft made sure it held up.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DET | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| PIT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 4 | 6 | 1 |
Ashcraft went 8.0 innings, allowing just 5 hits and 1 run while striking out 4 without issuing a walk. It was the kind of outing that lets a team survive a deficit and lean on one big inning, and it earned him his 13th win against 5 losses, carrying a 3.68 ERA. Mason Montgomery closed it out with a scoreless inning, striking out 2 for his 5th save.
The fifth inning flipped the game. Callahan's homer to right made it 1-0 for Detroit, but Oneil Cruz answered immediately, homering to center to score Valdez and put Pittsburgh ahead 2-1. Spencer Horwitz followed with a single to right that brought home Flores, extending the lead to 3-1. Pittsburgh added an insurance run in the eighth when Bryan Reynolds singled to left to score Triolo, making it 4-1.
Keider Montero took the loss for Detroit, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits over 5.0 innings with 3 strikeouts and a walk. The Tigers' bullpen held the rest of the game in check, with two relievers combining for 3.0 innings and just 1 run allowed, but the offense could not generate anything after Callahan's homer.
Pittsburgh improved to 62-66, snapping in with a win to move to a W1 streak. Detroit fell to 61-65 after dropping this one.