The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped a gut-punch 8-7 decision to the Detroit Tigers on Friday, September 25, 2026, at Comerica Park. Detroit erased a two-run deficit to win by one run in nine innings, handing Pittsburgh the loss. Bubba Chandler's rough outing in the early innings put the Pirates in a hole they couldn't ultimately hold onto, despite a late multi-run push that made things interesting. For a Pirates club that held the lead and couldn't protect it, leaving Detroit with nothing to show for it stings.

Pirates Offense Generates Runs but Chandler Sinks the Ship Early

Pittsburgh's bats were not the reason this game slipped away. Ryan O'Hearn went 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Rafael Flores Jr. did real damage with a home run and three RBI on a 1-for-4 night. The Pirates put seven runs on the board — more than enough to win most ballgames.

The problem was Chandler. The right-hander lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing six earned runs on four hits and four walks with only two strikeouts. That kind of start forces the bullpen to carry too much weight, and against a Tigers lineup that put up eight runs, there was no margin for error.

  • Bubba Chandler: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
  • Evan Sisk: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
  • Wilber Dotel: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
  • Brandon Eisert: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Dotel's three innings of work gave Pittsburgh a chance to breathe and kept the game reachable, but the six-run hole Chandler dug was simply too much to fully overcome.

Torkelson Leads Detroit, Jobe Earns the Win

On the Detroit side, Spencer Torkelson was the story. He went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, providing the kind of production that starter Jackson Jobe needed behind him. Jobe worked 5.1 innings, struck out eight, and allowed just two earned runs on three hits and two walks — a strong, efficient outing that earned him the win.

Detroit's bullpen closed it out methodically. Drew Sommers contributed 0.2 innings of scoreless relief, Andrew Sears struggled with five earned runs allowed in 1.2 innings — which let Pittsburgh claw back — and Tyler Holton threw a clean 0.1 innings before Kenley Jansen came on and slammed the door in the ninth, striking out two in a perfect inning to earn the save.

Turning Point: Pittsburgh's Late Rally Falls Short

The Pirates made it interesting late. Andrew Sears's rough 1.2-inning stretch gave Pittsburgh life, and Flores Jr.'s three-RBI night helped the Bucs claw the deficit down to one run. But Jansen, working the final inning, was unhittable — two strikeouts, no hits, no walks — and that was that.

The metadata tells the story cleanly: Detroit came back from a two-run deficit and won by one. Pittsburgh had the lead. Pittsburgh couldn't hold it. That's a tough loss in a sentence.

What's Next for the Pirates

Pittsburgh continues its road series in Detroit with more games on the schedule. For the Pirates to start answering questions about their rotation, they need more from Chandler — a 2.2-inning, six-run outing is not a foundation to build on, regardless of what the offense does behind him. The bullpen showed enough resilience to keep this one close, but the starting pitching has to give this team a chance from the jump.