Torkelson’s home run in the seventh inning initially seemed to not matter; it ended up being the winning run for the Tigers.
Jackson Jobe pitched well, and the bats came alive for the Detroit Tigers (75-85) in an 8-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates (81-79).
Jobe had a strong outing for the Tigers. He worked 5.1 innings, allowed three hits, two earned runs, two walks, and eight strikeouts.
The Pirates jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Oneil Cruz walked and stole second base. Ryan O’Hearn singled, and Cruz scored. Spencer Horwitz then doubled on a ball that should have been caught by right fielder Brett Callahan. O’Hearn scored to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead.
The Tigers tied it right away in the bottom of the second inning. Eduardo Valencia walked, and Callahan singled. Then, Spencer Torkelson tripled to score both baserunners.
In the third inning, the Tigers came right back with four more runs, all with two outs. Kevin McGonigle walked, Valencia singled, and Greene walked. Dillon Dingler singled, scoring McGonigle and Valencia. The Tigers weren’t done. Callahan walked, and that loaded the bases. Torkelson then struck out on a full-count pitch, and the ball went to the backstop. That allowed two runners to score and make the score 6-2.
That would end the night for Pirate starter Bubba Chandler. He pitched 2.2 innings, allowed four hits, six earned runs, four walks, and struck out two batters.
An error by shortstop Konnor Griffin allowed the Tigers to add a run in the sixth inning. Dingler hit a hard ground ball right through his legs that allowed Valencia to score.
Torkelson would add an important run in the seventh inning, even if it didn’t seem like it was in the moment. He hit a solo homer to put the Tigers up 8-2.
The Pirates made it interesting in the eighth inning. They scored five runs, all with two outs, which seemed to be a theme for this game: two-out runs.
Bryan Reynolds walked, Cruz singled, moving Reynolds to third base. Nick Gonzales singled, scoring Reynolds and advancing Cruz to third base. O’Hearn singled, and that brought Cruz to home plate. Rafael Flores Jr. then hit a three-run homer to bring the score to 8-7.
Kenley Jansen came in and earned his 498th career save and secured the win for the Tigers.
