Pirates outslug Tigers, have PNC Park-record eight doubles

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jul 22, 2025

Published in Baseball

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PITTSBURGH — If Tuesday night was his final appearance at PNC Park as a Pirate, Mitch Keller delivered one last quality start. Keller, as trade rumors swirl around him, completed six innings and allowed three runs on six hits and three walks. It wasn’t his finest performance, but when combined with a good offensive day, was enough for the Pirates to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5.

Keller earned the win, improving to 4-10. He had five strikeouts and now has 394 at PNC Park in his career, the most in the ballpark’s history. David Bednar, pitching for the third consecutive game, pitched out of trouble in the ninth for career save No. 99.

For much of the season, the Pirates haven’t given Keller any run support. They gave him plenty Tuesday, scoring five runs on 10 hits in four innings off Tigers All-Star Casey Mize (9-4), then clinching the game with a three-spot off relievers Carlos Hernandez and Brant Hurter in the sixth.

The third run of the game, which came against Mize in the third inning, was a result of hustle from center fielder Oneil Cruz.

Cruz started with a double, a hard-hit liner over center fielder Parker Meadows that Meadows never got a read on. Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes hit what looked to be a routine groundout, but third baseman Zach McKinstry pulled his throw and first baseman Spencer Torkelson couldn’t catch it cleanly. Cruz advanced to third, and when he saw that Torkelson was slow to get the ball roughly 25 feet behind him, sprinted home and narrowly beat Torkelson’s throw.

The Tigers committed three errors. While they still have one of the best records in baseball, they’ve now lost eight of nine.

It was over when …

… the Pirates scored three in the sixth. Spencer Horwitz reached first on a strikeout after swinging at a Hernandez wild pitch, then advanced to second on a groundout. Bryan Reynolds scored him with a single, then Tommy Pham scored Reynolds with an RBI double. Hayes brought Reynolds in with an RBI single of his own.

Outfielder Jahmai Jones had a pinch-hit two-run homer off Caleb Ferguson in the eighth. The Tigers brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but Bednar had two strikeouts to end it.

On the mound

Keller has had more dominant starts, especially at PNC Park, but did enough to limit the Tigers. The only mistakes that cost him came against the bottom of Detroit’s lineup in the fifth inning, when he walked Meadows, allowed a single to shortstop Javy Baez and a three-run homer to No. 9 hitter Jake Rogers.

At the plate

The Pirates had one of their best offensive games of the season, especially considering their All-Star competition. They scored eight runs on 14 hits and had a baserunner in every inning. They had eight doubles, the most by the Pirates in PNC Park history.

Reynolds went 3 for 5 with a double, two runs and two RBIs. Pham went 3 for 5 with two doubles, a run and two RBIs. Cruz had a walk and two doubles.

Most valuable player

However, the most valuable player was Horwitz. Horwitz reached base in all five plate appearances with two doubles, a single, a walk and the sixth-inning wild pitch. He scored twice and brought in two more with a bases-loaded double in the second.

Horwitz has gone 3 for 4 in both games against the Tigers this week.

Up next

The Pirates will go for the sweep on Wednesday at 12:35 p.m. ET. Bailey Falter (6-5, 4.00 ERA) will throw for the Pirates, looking to rebound from his recent struggles, while Tigers right-hander Troy Melton will make his major league debut. Melton, 24, is the Tigers No. 10 prospect and has a 2.72 ERA at Triple-A Toledo.

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