Detroit Tigers work Paul Skenes but lose 8-4 (10) to Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 2
If Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher in baseball, then Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes is the second-best.
Skenes hadn't allowed more than one run since May 6 — a stretch of seven starts — but the Tigers scored two runs against him in the fifth inning Thursday, June 19, during Game 2 of the doubleheader at Comerica Park.
It didn't matter.
The Tigers lost, 8-4m in 10 innings.
The Pirates took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 10th inning, when Tommy Pham — the free runner — scored from second base on Ke'Bryan Hayes' single to right field. The Tigers challenged, but the call on the field was upheld.
After the determination, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was ejected by second base umpire Chris Guccione, the crew chief, for arguing the result of the replay review.
In a tie game, the Tigers and Pirates endured a 1-hour, 15-minute rain delay with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. The game ultimately went into extra innings.
Skenes allowed two runs on three hits and five walks with nine strikeouts across six innings, throwing 105 pitches. The 23-year-old owns 1.85 ERA in the second year of his MLB career, spanning 16 starts.
The Tigers (48-28) split the doubleheader against the Pirates, but they still won the three-game series.
Everything changed in the seventh inning.
That's when Colt Keith swung at a two-strike fastball way above the strike zone. He didn't hit the ball extremely hard, but he sent it flying down the left-field line — and all the way over the fence for a two-run home run.
It tied the game, 4-4.
In the 10th inning, Hayes hit a two-strike sinker from left-handed reliever Brant Hurter on the ground and into right field. Right fielder Kerry Carpenter threw a bullet — clocked at 90.6 mph — to catcher Jake Rogers, who tagged Pham at home plate.
It was a bang-bang play.
And it looked like Pham was out.
But the replay review upheld the call on the field — safe.
After taking a 5-4 lead, the Pirates tacked on three more runs for a four-run breakthrough in the top of the 10th inning.
Before extra innings, the Tigers got scoreless efforts from three relievers: left-hander Matt Gage for the final two outs in the seventh inning, right-hander Tommy Kahnle in the eighth and righty Will Vest in the ninth.
In the ninth, Vest struck out Oneil Cruz with a slider and Andrew McCutchen with a fastball to strand runners at first and second base. After McCutchen's strikeout, Vest pounded his chest and unleashed a roar in celebration.
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Facing Paul Skenes
Skenes shut down the Tigers until the fifth inning.
Before then, the Tigers had their best scoring opportunity in the third inning, with runners on first and second — a double from Rogers and a walk from Keith. The momentum evaporated when Gleyber Torres grounded into an inning-ending double play.
But Torres redeemed himself.
In the fifth, Rogers walked and Sweeney walked to set the table for Torres again. This time, the Tigers had runners on first and second with two outs.
Skenes hung a slider.
Torres didn't miss.
He drove the middle-middle slider to shallow left-center field, driving in Rogers from second base and Keith from first base. An aggressive send from third base coach Joey Cora created the second run, with the relay throw off-line.
Skenes issued his fifth walk — the most in a game in his 38-start MLB career, topping four starts with four walks apiece — with two outs in the sixth inning, but he escaped by striking out Zach McKinstry to conclude his outing.
Tyler Holton struggles
The damage from the Pirates occurred early against left-handed reliever Tyler Holton, who worked as an opener ahead of right-hander Keider Montero. He cruised through the first inning, but the second inning wasn't friendly to him.
Holton surrendered three runs on two home runs.
Nick Gonzales provided a 1-0 lead with a solo homer off Holton's middle-middle cutter; Jared Triolo extended the lead to 3-0 with a two-run homer off Holton's middle-down fastball.
He has been leaving too many pitches over the heart of the plate.
Holton established himself as one of MLB's best relievers throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons, with a 2.15 ERA in 179⅔ innings combined. The 29-year-old hasn't been the same in 2025, posting a 4.72 ERA in 34⅓ innings.
The Pirates scored their fourth run in the third inning, when McCutchen hit a solo home run. That was the only run allowed by Montero, responsible for one run on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts across five innings.
Montero threw 77 pitches.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers rally, but flop in 10th inning for 8-4 loss to Pirates
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