The Pittsburgh Pirates received a well-pitched eight innings from left-hander Martin Perez and two home runs from outfielder Edward Olivares, giving them a lead against the Detroit Tigers.
The Pirates only needed their star closer David Bednar to finish the game in the ninth inning and secure a two-game series win.
However, Bednar failed to do so, allowing four runs as the Tigers came back to win 5-3, resulting in a series split on Tuesday afternoon at PNC Park in front of 10,058 fans.
Bednar (1-1) struggled, allowing two walks, hitting two batters, and giving up three RBI singles in just one-third of an inning before being replaced by Roansy Contreras, who closed out the game.
At the start of the ninth, Bednar allowed a walk and hit a batter, leading to a run for the Tigers. A subsequent error allowed another run to score, followed by two more runs from a single, putting the Tigers in the lead.
The Pirates challenged a play that would have allowed the Tigers to gain an extra base, but the call was overturned. Nonetheless, the Tigers scored another run to take the lead.
Bednar then gave up another single, allowing the Tigers to extend their lead to 5-3.
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Perez provided the Pirates with a sixth consecutive quality start, a rare achievement for their starting rotation, pitching 70 out of 100 pitches for strikes over eight innings while allowing only one run.
Perez had another strong outing after a previous win, striking out six batters in 6 2/3 innings.
The Tigers took an early lead with a single to left and two subsequent hits, but Perez limited the damage by inducing a double play.
Olivares hit a leadoff home run in the second inning, tying the game.
The Pirates regained the lead in the third inning, with Bryan Reynolds scoring on a single by Hayes.
Perez prevented the Tigers from scoring in the sixth inning by forcing a groundout after allowing a double and a groundout.
The Tigers were close to scoring more runs, but good defensive plays by the Pirates prevented further damage.
Mize gave up two runs on five hits and one walk in five innings before the Tigers brought in lefty Tyler Horton in the sixth. Olivares hit a 2-1 changeup strongly, sending it 407 feet to left-center for a 3-1 lead. It was the first time this season that a Pirates player hit more than one home run in a game, and it was the third time in Olivares' career.
