Ben Gamel’s third hit of the game Tuesday night was a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the visiting Detroit Tigers 3-2.
Colin Moran had a sacrifice-fly RBI in the first inning for the Pirates (50-89), who have won the first two games of the three-game series following a six-game losing streak and are 4-1 against Detroit this season.
Pittsburgh starter Dillon Peters, just off the injured List (lower-back strain) and making his fourth start since coming to the Pirates in a trade, pitched four innings. He gave up two runs and three hits, with three walks and five strikeouts.
Sam Howard (3-4) pitched a scoreless sixth. Chris Stratton pitched the ninth for his third save.
Derek Hill hit an RBI triple and Robbie Grossman an RBI single for the Tigers (65-75), who have lost eight of their past 11.
Detroit starter Wily Peralta, in four innings, gave up one run and six hits, with three walks and three strikeouts.
Alex Lange (0-2) yielded two runs and three hits in the sixth.
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Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the first. Ke’Bryan Hayes led off with a single to right-center and Yoshi Tsutsugo walked. Hayes went to third on Bryan Reynolds’ flyout and scored on Colin Moran’s sacrifice fly to right.
Detroit leapfrogged to the lead in the third. Willi Castro walked and score on Hill’s triple to left to tie it. Peralta worked a four-pitch walk before Grossman’s base hit to left brought Hill home to make it 2-1.
In the seventh against Lange, Tsutsugo reached on a two-out infield single. Reynolds doubled to right, with Tsutsugo moving to third. Moran walked to load the bases.
To that point, the Pirates had stranded 10 runners, but Gamel bucked the trend with his third hit, a single to left to drive in Tsutsugo and Reynolds for a 3-2 Pittsburgh edge.
The Pirates left 14 runners on base.
–Field Level Media