Konnor Griffin’s early blast, two-hit day lift Pirates past Tigers 4-2 at Comerica Park

Four runs before Detroit found a swing

Pittsburgh did its damage in clean, decisive bursts. Griffin opened the scoring in the first inning with a home run to left-centre, a 385-foot shot that immediately put Detroit on the back foot. The Pirates added another run in the second when Jake Mangum singled to left, bringing home Spencer Horwitz and moving Nick Gonzales to third.

The fourth inning gave Pittsburgh the separation it would end up needing. Billy Cook doubled to left to score Gonzales for a 3-0 lead, then Griffin came through again with a single to left that scored Cook and made it 4-0. That sequence turned Griffin from early spark into the central offensive figure of the afternoon.

The Pirates were not overwhelming at the plate, but they were productive enough at the right moments. Griffin finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Gonzales scored twice and collected two hits of his own, while Mangum also had a two-hit game and drove in a run. Pittsburgh left 12 runners on base, so there were missed chances throughout, but the club kept stringing together enough traffic to build the winning margin.

Detroit’s only answer came on two swings

For six innings, Detroit had almost nothing going. Jared Jones handled the opening four scoreless frames for Pittsburgh, allowing one hit and striking out five without a walk. He set the tone for a staff that limited the Tigers to three hits all day and kept most plate appearances on Pittsburgh’s terms.

Detroit finally showed life in the seventh, and it came entirely through the long ball. Kevin McGonigle homered to left-centre to cut the lead to 4-1, and Eduardo Valencia followed later in the inning with a 443-foot drive to left-centre that pulled the Tigers within two. Those were the only runs Detroit produced, and McGonigle and Valencia accounted for all three of the club’s hits.

That left the Tigers with a thin margin for error everywhere else. Antwone Kelly was charged with both Detroit runs, but Pittsburgh’s relief group recovered. Lake Bachar struck out four in his outing, Mason Montgomery added another strikeout, and Detroit could not turn its seventh-inning momentum into a broader rally. The Tigers finished with 12 strikeouts and only one walk, and outside McGonigle and Valencia the rest of the lineup went hitless in 23 at-bats.

Our take: Pittsburgh’s formula worked, but both lineups showed their limits

This was the kind of road win the Pirates will take without pretending it solved everything. They got the first punch, received solid work from Jones, and had enough bullpen swing-and-miss to survive Detroit’s late home runs. Griffin’s two-RBI game mattered most, but the quieter support around him was just as important: Gonzales scoring twice, Mangum adding two hits, and Cook helping stretch the lead in the fourth.

The caution for Pittsburgh is straightforward. A team that collects seven hits, draws three walks and strands 12 runners usually leaves room for regret. On Sunday it did not cost them because Detroit created so little offence for most of the afternoon. Against a lineup that puts more balls in play or turns early baserunners into crooked numbers, the Pirates would likely want more than four runs from that amount of opportunity.

Detroit, meanwhile, can point to a pitching recovery that kept the game from getting away completely. After the first four runs crossed, Jack Flaherty and Ty Madden combined for five scoreless innings and allowed only one hit. That gave the Tigers a chance to climb back in. The problem was that the offence never built enough pressure around the two home runs to make that late push feel sustainable.

So the result reads clearly: Pittsburgh was sharper early, cleaner in run creation, and better at missing bats when it mattered. Detroit showed some power, but power without traffic is a hard way to win, and a three-hit afternoon left the Tigers asking too much of two solo shots. In a 4-2 game, those details were the difference.

Scoring moments

1. 1st Inning

   Griffin homered to left center (385 feet).

2. 2nd Inning

   Mangum singled to left, Horwitz scored, Gonzales to third.

3. 4th Inning

   Cook doubled to left, Gonzales scored.

4. 4th Inning

   Griffin singled to left, Cook scored.

5. 7th Inning

   McGonigle homered to left center (393 feet).

6. 7th Inning

   Valencia homered to left center (443 feet).