Pittsburgh — Sometimes the other guy is just better.
On Tuesday night at PNC Park, talented right-hander Braxton Ashcroft was the most dominant player on the field, holding the Detroit Tigers to a run over eight innings, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates even the series with a 4-1 victory.
The loss drops the Tigers four games under .500 (61-65).
Ashcroft was coming off an 85-pitch complete game win against the Marlins in which he allowed a run and three hits with 10 strikeouts. The Tigers managed five hits off him, but he was beating them up with 97.6-mph sinkers and 98-mph four-seamers, mixing in just enough curveballs and sliders to keep the hitters honest.
He induced 12 ground ball outs.
The only smudge on his ledger was rookie Brett Callahan’s first big-league home run. He had hit just one homer in 151 plate appearances at Triple-A Toledo. But, in his eighth big-league plate appearance, he drove a 97.8-mph fastball 393 feet into the seats in right field. The ball left his bat at 110 mph.
It was another volatile outing by the Tigers’ starting pitcher.
Just as Framber Valdez’s night blew up in the sixth inning after five good ones Monday, right-hander Keider Montero’s was even more extreme.
He was perfect for the first four innings, setting down 12 straight in just 41 pitches. He was in control of every at-bat, inducing eight ground ball outs.
Then it all fell apart in the fifth. It took him 37 pitches and eight hitters to get the three outs, at a cost of three runs. And another run was taken off the board in the inning.
Two of the runs came on a 422-foot homer by Oneil Cruz. In his first game back off the injured list, Cruz saw two straight knuckle-curves from Montero. The second one left his bat at 107 mph and flew into the seats in left-center.
Jake Magnum dropped a bunt single and Rafael Flores, Jr., doubled. With one out, Jared Triolo hit a ground ball to Kevin McGonigle at third. The throw home eluded catcher Eduardo Valencia but Magnum slid past the plate without touching it.
He was initially called safe, but after the Tigers’ alertly challenged, the replay showed Valencia retrieved the ball and tagged Magnum before he ever touched the plate.
Montero wasn’t able to end the damage there. Spencer Horwitz delivered a two-out, two-strike RBI single to make it a 3-1 game.
The Pirates added a fourth run in the eighth on a two-out, RBI single by Bryan Reynolds off lefty reliever Enmanuel De Jesus.
This will be updated…
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers bats shut down as Pirates even series, 4-1