Barstool Bush
Predictions

Detroit Tigers at Pittsburgh Pirates

By Bush StaffUpdated 4d ago·2 min read
Detroit TigersDET(60-64)
Pittsburgh PiratesPIT(61-65)
8—5
FINAL
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DET
2200130008142
PIT
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Framber Valdez and Carmen Mlodzinski took the mound Monday at PNC Park, and neither one carried much recent momentum into it. Valdez came in off a rough turn against Cleveland, and Mlodzinski was fresh off an outing that barely got him through the third.

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FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Tigers(60-64)
LLLWL
8
Pirates(61-65)
WLWWL
5
Best BetTigers -102
Postgame

Detroit cashed it, breaking a 3-game skid by jumping out to an early lead and holding on through a wild sixth inning. The banged-up Pittsburgh lineup we flagged never found enough offense to climb back, managing only 6 hits on the night. The pre-game read on Mlodzinski's shaky form held up too — his early exit set the tone for a Pittsburgh staff that let a comfortable lead-out situation nearly slip away in the sixth.

Pregame

Valdez has actually looked like a rotation anchor for stretches this month, stringing together quality length before his last walk-heavy hiccup. Mlodzinski is a stopgap starter who's been capped short all season, and that's the bigger question mark walking into Monday. Detroit's recent skid is more about a brutal 3-game stretch against a hot White Sox team than anything wrong with this specific arm.

Detroit showed up missing half an outfield — Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and James Outman all unavailable — while Jack Flaherty and Justin Verlander remain out of the rotation picture entirely. Pittsburgh wasn't full strength either, working around injuries at catcher and in right field, which left both lineups leaning on replacement pieces to decide a game that opened as close to a coin flip as this market gets.

Framber Valdez
Framber Valdez
(8-8)·4.35 ERA
Aug 12 vs Guardians
L
5.2IP
4ER
3K
5BB
102P
08/17 Lineup
Carmen Mlodzinski
Carmen Mlodzinski
(6-6)·4.03 ERA
Aug 12 @ Marlins
L
2.1IP
4ER
1K
3BB
59P
08/17 Lineup

None of that stopped the Tigers from getting after Mlodzinski early. Detroit scored in each of the first two innings and kept building from there, putting real distance between itself and a Pittsburgh club still finding its footing at the plate.

By the fifth inning Detroit had built a 7-1 cushion, riding 14 hits for the game against a Pirates staff that couldn't find outs. Pittsburgh made it interesting late, scoring 4 runs in the sixth to close within 3, but the Tigers had banked enough cushion to survive it and close out an 8-5 win.

The win snaps a rough patch for Detroit, which had dropped 3 straight before Monday's trip to Pittsburgh. The Pirates, meanwhile, had actually been playing better ball, having gone 3-2 in their last 5 and taking 2 of 3 from Boston in their most recent series, which made the final margin here a mild surprise given the direction both clubs were trending.

Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
(60-64)
Aug 16Lvs White Sox5-7
Aug 15Lvs White Sox3-4
Aug 14Lvs White Sox5-9
Aug 13Wvs Guardians3-0
Aug 12Lvs Guardians4-6
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
(61-65)
Aug 16Wvs Red Sox8-3
Aug 15Lvs Red Sox0-4
Aug 14Wvs Red Sox8-4
Aug 13W@ Marlins13-1
Aug 12L@ Marlins2-8

Both injury reports colored how the game was managed. Pittsburgh is without catcher Endy Rodriguez, who sought a second opinion on his hip Monday, and outfielder Ryan O'Hearn remains sidelined, though he's been cleared to take some cage swings. Detroit's list is longer and uglier — Flaherty, Verlander and Reese Olson are all out of the rotation, and the outfield is running without Greene, Carpenter, Outman, Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows.

Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
(14)
  • 7-Day ILJames Outman (CF) — The Tigers placed Outman on the 7-day concussion injured list Thursday.08/13
  • 10-Day-ILKerry Carpenter (RF) — Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Monday that Carpenter has been sent to a foot specialist, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.08/17
  • 10-Day-ILRiley Greene (LF) — Greene exited Tuesday's game versus Cleveland in the third inning as a result of right hamstring tightness.08/12
  • 10-Day-ILMatt Vierling (CF) — The Tigers placed Vierling on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Thursday, due to a left adductor strain.07/31
  • 15-Day-ILJack Flaherty (SP) — The Tigers announced Friday that Flaherty (forearm) has increased the intensity and distance of his throwing progression, MLB.com reports.08/16
  • 60-Day-ILWenceel Perez (RF) — Perez (orbital) was pulled off his rehab assignment Tuesday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.08/11
  • 60-Day-ILWill Vest (RP) — Vest (elbow) underwent hip surgery Tuesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.08/11
  • 60-Day-ILBrant Hurter (RP) — The Tigers transferred Hurter (back) to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday to begin a rehab assignment, Emily Waldon of Baseball America reports.08/08
  • 60-Day-ILJustin Verlander (SP) — Verlander (hamstring/hip) threw off the front of the bullpen mound Wednesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.08/05
  • 60-Day-ILBurch Smith (RP) — Smith is being evaluated after exiting a rehab appearance with Triple-A Toledo on Thursday with right shoulder/lat discomfort, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.07/24
  • 60-Day-ILBailey Horn (RP) — Horn (elbow) will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.07/18
  • 60-Day-ILParker Meadows (CF) — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Meadows (forearm) has yet to resume hitting and is without a timeline to return from the 60-day injured list, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.06/25
  • 60-Day-ILTrey Sweeney (SS) — Sweeney will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery this week, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.06/05
  • 60-Day-ILReese Olson (SP) — The Tigers placed Olson on the 60-day injured list Tuesday after he underwent a right shoulder labral repair Feb. 2 that will result in him missing the 2026 season.05/08
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
(4)
  • 10-Day-ILEndy Rodriguez (C) — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Monday that Rodriguez is gathering a second opinion on his left hip injury, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.08/17
  • 10-Day-ILRyan O'Hearn (RF) — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Monday that O'Hearn (quadriceps) has been cleared to play catch and take some swings in the batting cage, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.08/17
  • 60-Day-ILKonnor Griffin (SS) — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Monday that Griffin has been cleared to transition out of the splint he had been wearing on his injured left ring finger, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.08/17
  • 60-Day-ILMitch Keller (SP) — The Pirates placed Keller on the 60-day injured list Monday due to a right arm teres major muscle injury.08/03

None of that is a great long-term outlook for either club, but for one night Detroit had enough length in the lineup to outlast a shorthanded Pittsburgh team and get back on the right side of a game that had threatened to get away from it.

MLBDetroit TigersPittsburgh PiratesPolymarketKalshiFramber ValdezCarmen Mlodzinski