Brett Callahan’s milestone blast provided a rare bright spot as Detroit’s stagnant offense struggled against Pittsburgh, tightening the pressure on the Tigers' narrowing postseason window.
The Detroit Tigers dropped game two against the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-1, in a game where Pittsburgh starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft was lights out.
Detroit mustered just five hits, though one included a career-first home run. Still, the Tigers' offense was largely absent in a game they needed to show up in.
The loss drops Detroit to 61-65 on the season. With just 36 games remaining, the Tigers sit 5.0 games behind the division lead and 0.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot.
It is getting down to crunch time, and every game continues to hold more and more weight. Detroit will now have to pull out the rubber match Wednesday afternoon against Paul Skenes, who is certainly not the pitcher you normally want to face when trying to find a hitting rhythm. Although Skenes has been in a bit of a slump as of late, the Tigers will have their work cut out for them.
Still, even in losses, we find three stars to highlight, and this one got tough.
3RD STAR: Keider Montero
Montero was dominating in his start, holding a perfect game through the first 12 batters of the game.
Then, the fifth inning happened.
Montero allowed the first Pirates baserunner when he walked Esmerlyn Valdez. Leadoff walks are never a good sign, and that was the case Tuesday night. Oneil Cruz greeted Montero with Pittsburgh's first hit of the game, and it was a long ball to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead.
It did not get any easier. Montero then allowed a single to Jake Mangum and a double to Rafael Flores before getting the first out of the fifth inning. The next batter hit a sharp grounder to Kevin McGonigle, who threw home to Eduardo Valencia. Although Valencia initially did not catch the ball, the runner never touched home plate, and Valencia picked up the ball to record the out.
It looked like Montero was going to get out of the harm, but Spencer Horwitz sent a single up the middle on the second-base side, scoring Pittsburgh's third run. Montero was eventually able to escape the inning, but the three runs proved detrimental in a game where offense was hard to come by.
Though it was not his best overall performance, what Montero did through the first 12 batters, along with allowing just three runs through five innings, is not something to hang your head about. He pitched well on a night when the offense was absent.
2ND STAR: Kevin McGonigle
McGonigle singled in the fourth inning and reached on an error to lead off the ninth with Detroit trailing by three.
There was not much in the way of stars for Detroit, and reaching base twice was accomplished by only two players. McGonigle was one of them, finishing the day 1-for-4 while reaching on an error.
1ST STAR: Brett Callahan
It was a night Callahan will remember for the rest of his life.
Callahan hit his first career home run in the fifth inning, sending a towering blast into the right-field stands. He was then able to trot around the bases for the first time in his young career.
Callahan entered the game 2-for-6 with four RBIs. Now, add another RBI to that total, giving him five through his first three Major League games.
He singled again in the eighth inning, finishing his third game in the majors 2-for-3 with the first home run of his career to earn his first top-star selection. Unfortunately, it had to come in a loss.
News and Notes
Time: This may have been one of the quickest games I have ever seen, with a total game time of just 2:03.
Dillon Dingler: After hitting just 2-for-31 over his last 31 at-bats, Dingler had the day off for the first time since June 10. However, he was called upon in the top of the ninth as a pinch hitter and struck out.
Colt Keith: Singled in the fourth inning.
Gleyber Torres: Initially reached on an error in the sixth when an opposite-field shot seemingly went right through the first baseman's glove. However, after a few innings of deliberation, the play was changed to a base hit.
