Detroit Tigers at Pittsburgh Pirates

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
DET	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	5	0
PIT	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	—	4	6	1

First pitch at PNC Park went off at 6:40 PM ET, with Keider Montero (9-7, 3.26 ERA) starting opposite All-Star righty Braxton Ashcraft (12-5, 3.75 ERA), who arrived off a complete-game gem against Miami that had manager Don Kelly calling him 'an All-Star, man.'

Show fees

FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Tigers(61-64)

WLLLW

1

+1.5-156+142o7.5-120

Pirates(61-66)

LWLWW

4

-1.5+150-144u7.5+120

Best BetPirates -133

Postgame

Ashcraft and the Pirates offense delivered exactly what the home price was banking on, breaking through for 3 in the 5th and adding insurance in the 8th to close out a 4-1 win. Detroit's shorthanded lineup managed only 5 hits and a single run — precisely the gap this pick was built on.

Pregame

Ashcraft just fired a near-flawless complete game and gets to do it at home, which is enough to lean Pirates even with the season slipping away from them. Detroit's lineup is banged up enough that betting against a pitcher this locked-in feels like the wrong side. It's not a blowout price, just the better arm in a better spot.

Detroit's lineup was already thin without Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and James Outman, and Pittsburgh had its own holes with catcher Endy Rodriguez and Ryan O'Hearn both on the shelf — so neither club had its full group in the building, which put extra weight on whichever starter could hold serve the longest.

Keider Montero

(9-8)·3.30 ERA

Aug 13 vs Guardians

W

6.1IP

0ER

0K

1BB

88P

08/18 Lineup

Braxton Ashcraft

(13-5)·3.68 ERA

Aug 13 @ Marlins

W

9.0IP

1ER

10K

1BB

85P

08/18 Lineup

Both offenses stayed quiet into the 5th, when Pittsburgh broke through for 3 runs while Detroit answered with 1 of its own in the same inning. The Pirates tacked on an insurance run in the 8th and made it stand up, closing out a 4-1 win despite committing an error and getting outhit only marginally, 6 to 5.

Montero had rolled into Pittsburgh off a scoreless start against Cleveland, but the Pirates got to him in that pivotal 5th and never let go. Ashcraft, for his part, kept working around Detroit's shorthanded order all night — the kind of outing that's kept his name in the Pirates' rotation conversation and the Tigers still hunting for answers in a tight AL wild-card chase.

Detroit Tigers

(61-64)

Aug 17W@ Pirates8-5

Aug 16Lvs White Sox5-7

Aug 15Lvs White Sox3-4

Aug 14Lvs White Sox5-9

Aug 13Wvs Guardians3-0

Pittsburgh Pirates

(61-66)

Aug 17Lvs Tigers5-8

Aug 16Wvs Red Sox8-3

Aug 15Lvs Red Sox0-4

Aug 14Wvs Red Sox8-4

Aug 13W@ Marlins13-1

Detroit had beaten this same Pittsburgh club a night earlier behind a Kevin McGonigle homer, so the split was a reminder of how even these two clubs have played each other lately — separated more by which arm shows up than by anything structural.

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) — Carpenter (foot) will pause his rehab program after suffering a setback, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.08/18
• 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

(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