The Tigers remain atop the American League Central, 7.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians. The Blue Jays are five games up on the New York Yankees for first in the AL East.

The Tigers lost, 8-5, to the Pittsburgh Pirates. They have posted a 14-17 record since June 14 — and a 1-8 record since July 9.

In his MLB debut, Detroit Detroit Tigers right-hander Troy Melton allowed 6 runs on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts across 5 innings.

The Detroit Tigers face the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second game of a 3-game set at PNC Park in Pittsburgh Tuesday.

Rookie right-hander Troy Melton gave up a grand slam in the 2nd inning as the Tigers lost to the Bucs, 6-1, for a 3-game sweep.

Left-handed starting pitcher Bailey Falter had one of his best outings of the season, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-1 victory over the Detr

Spencer Horwitz hit his first career grand slam and Bailey Falter matched a career-high with eight strikeouts to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-1 win and sweep of the Detroit Tigers.

Spencer Horwitz's grand slam backed up a quality start from Bailey Falter and helped the host Pittsburgh Pirates finish off a three-game sweep of the frontrunning Detroit Tigers with a 6-1 victory on Wednesday afternoon.

The Detroit Tigers have some clear needs to address ahead of the MLB trade deadline, with arguably their most pressing being in the bullpen.

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates will look to sweep a three-game series with a win against the Detroit Tigers. Pittsburgh is 28-24 at home and 41-61 overall. The Pirates are 14-43 in games when they have allowed a home run.