Pirates late surge falls short in series opener vs. Tigers

DETROIT — This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.com.

The Pirates used a five-run eighth inning to get within one run but fell short in an 8-7 loss to the Tigers on Friday night at Comerica Park.

Scoring Plays

Top 2nd, 2-0 PIT: The Pirates (81-79) scored two runs off Tigers starter Jackson Jobe (3-3). Ryan O’Hearn plated Oneil Cruz with an RBI single to right and scored on a Spencer Horwitz double to right.

Bottom 2nd, 2-2: The Tigers (75-85) tied the game on Spencer Torkelson’s two-out two-run triple off Bubba Chandler (8-10). Right fielder Jake Mangum made an ill-advised diving attempt.

Bottom 3rd, 6-2 DET: The Tigers rallied for four runs — all with two outs. Dillon Dingler lofted a two-run single over the head of shortstop Konnor Griffin to plate a pair. Later in the inning, two runs scored on a strike three wild pitch to Torkelson, who reached first base.

Bottom 6th, 7-2 DET: With two on and two out, Dingler hit a grounder to shortstop Konnor Griffin. The ball went between Griffin’s legs and into left-center, allowing Eduardo Valencia to score from second base.

Bottom 7th, 8-2 DET: Torkelson lined a solo home run to left-center off Wilber Dotel to lead off the inning.

Top 8th, 8-7 DET: The Pirates made it a one run game with a five-run two-out rally. Nick Gonzales snapped a stretch of eight unanswered Tiger runs with an RBI single to right field off Austin Sears. O’Hearn followed with an RBI single to left-center. After a mound visit, Rafael Flores Jr. clobbered a three-run home run to left-center.

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