Max Clark hit his first home run at Comerica Park and five Tigers pitchers combined to allow one run as Detroit ended a six-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.

Clark's homer, the second of his career, gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning, and that was more than enough for Detroit's pitching staff. Starter Jackson Jobe allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings, and four relievers combined to allow one hit.

Drew Sommers (1-3) retired all five batters he faced for his first major league victory and Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his 17th save.

Detroit had lost nine of its last 10 to fall 4 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the race for the third AL wild card.

Ian Seymour (9-5), who replaced Tampa Bay opener Casey Legumina, gave up four runs, three earned, on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. The Rays have lost eight of their last 12 games.

Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Junior Caminero singled, took third on Liam Hicks' double and scored on an infield single by Jonny DeLuca.

Detroit scored three times in the fifth. After Clark's homer, the Tigers added another run in the inning when Gleyber Torres reached on a pop fly that dropped between second baseman Richie Palacios and DeLuca in right.

Seymour balked, moving Torres to second, and he scored when Jonathan Aranda misplayed Kevin McGonigle's ground ball.

Detroit added a fourth run in the seventh when Javier Báez tripled and scored on Hao-Yu Lee's single to left.

The teams finish their three-game series on Wednesday, with Detroit RHP Troy Melton (7-2, 1.60 ERA) facing RHP Freddy Peralta (5-11, 5.33).

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More than two weeks before the Detroit Lions kick off their 2026 regular season, the team unveiled its new uniform on Tuesday.

The team released a video introducing the white uniform featuring Honolulu Blue and black designs, along with a blue helmet. The uniform, which is part of Nike and the NFL's Rivalries program, officially debuts on Sept. 1 but is set to make its on-field debut on Nov. 1, when the Lions take on the Minnesota Vikings.

A description on the Lions' website reads, "Detroit was once defined by what it built. Now, it's defined by what it overcame; by its complete refusal to surrender. That mentality is reflected by its people and its football team, in the way they guard the places they call home. Every opponent is an intruder."

This comes two years after the Lions unveiled their 2024 modern uniforms, which included a black alternate.

The Lions are coming off a 17-13 victory against the Washington Commanders in the NFL preseason. The team has one more preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, Aug. 29.

The team's first 2026 regular season game kicks off on Sept. 13, with Detroit taking on the New Orleans Saints.

Detroit finished its 2025 season with a 9-8 record, failing to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. The team is now hoping to return to the top of the NFC North after making coaching and roster changes.

Detroit's new professional women's hockey team welcomed its star player to Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, officially introducing Hilary Knight.

"Honestly, I just can't wait to get started," said Knight. "It's going to be a lot of fun."

PWHL Detroit acquired the five-time Olympic medalist from Las Vegas in June. Knight has an incredible track record of success from college to the pros and at the international level, captaining Team USA Women's hockey to a gold medal at the 2026 Olympics in February.

"I mean, I love winning," said Knight. "There's no mistake about that. It's the elusive Walter Cup for me personally. I would love to win one of those. I want to establish a successful foundation that is going to be pay dividends, hopefully right off the bat, but I know what having a pro team does to a community, so having that kind of impact on the ice and off the ice is really special to me."

Knight played at Little Caesars Arena as part of the PWHL Takeover Tour when she was with the Boston Fleet in 2024.

"I thought Detroit was going to get a team immediately after we played here that first Takeover Tour game," said Knight. "It's almost full circle for me in a way, personally. You know, whenever we were talking about what a league would be like, to see what it's become to have a team here in Detroit, Hockeytown, it's so special, and considering the youth development piece, obviously I'm biased with USA Hockey but a lot of great, American born player from Michigan, so to be able to have a women's team here is tremendous," said Knight. "I'm really looking forward to seeing how that evolves."

Knight will be coached by another trailblazer in women's hockey, Manon Rheaume, who made history as the first woman to sign a professional hockey contract and play in an NHL preseason game.

"I wouldn't be here unless Manon had her vision," said Knight. "I ended that call and immediately went to Britt and said, 'This vision is incredible. I want to be a part of this.' That's what I mean, it's really about the people that you surround yourself with. That's what is great about team sports, it really takes a whole community to be able to find success at the end of the journey, and I know that she is going to put our team and our players in the best position to find that."

An official name for Detroit's PWHL team has not yet been announced. The PWHL season is expected to begin sometime in the Fall.

At least a quarter of ex-NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE — a much higher rate than is seen in the general population, a study released Tuesday showed.

CTE is a brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head. Former NFL stars like Junior Seau, Demaryius Thomas and Mike Webster were all found to have the disease, which can only be definitively diagnosed after someone dies by examining their brain tissue. The disease isn't exclusive to football. MLS player Scott Vermillion was also diagnosed with it following his death. NHL players, like Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, were also diagnosed with the disease.

The researchers also found 61.3% of former NFL players who donated their brains and had CTE met the clinical criteria for dementia, and that severe CTE was associated with dementia more frequently.

The study was done by Mass General Brigham, Boston University and the Concussion & CTE Foundation, and was published in The British Medical Journal.

An NFL spokesperson told CBS News the league "continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts."

"The NFL remains committed to ensuring that the NFL community has access to a robust — and expanding — set of resources to enhance their physical and mental wellbeing. We encourage former players to utilize these resources to identify and seek treatment when they are concerned about their health," the spokesperson continued.

Researchers' method

Researchers began by identifying all former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2021.

Of the 878 players who died between 2016 and 2021, the highest donation period, some 235 donated their brains, the researchers said. There were 215 (91.4%) donated brains that were diagnosed with CTE.

To take players who didn't donate their brains into account, researchers estimated a range for possible CTE prevalence between 24.5% and 97.7%.

"The true prevalence likely lies somewhere in the middle," they said, which would mean the actual percentage could be much higher than 24.5%.

A call for more research

"Community brain bank studies have shown that CTE affects less than 1% of the general population. To find that somewhere between 24.5% and 97.7% of NFL players from that time period had this progressive brain disease is a wake-up call for the NFL and scientific communities," said Daniel Daneshvar, the study's lead author, the chair of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

"These data, alongside my experience treating NFL players with dementia ... indicate that we need to dedicate resources towards developing a cure," he said.

The researchers said future studies should look at athletes who played more recently, and that prevention efforts should "focus on reducing repetitive head impacts that drive CTE risk, not just concussions."

Jonathan Aranda homered and Drew Rasmussen gave up three hits in six strong innings as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the slumping Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Monday night.

Tampa Bay had lost seven of its last 10, but never trailed against the Tigers, who have lost six straight and nine of 10 to fall behind in the race for the final AL wild card.

Rasmussen (14-5) allowed one run to win his seventh straight start. It is the second longest streak in franchise history, trailing only Blake Snell's nine-start streak in 2018.

Bryan Baker pitched the ninth for his 38th save.

Detroit starter Framber Valdez (8-9) gave up four runs — three earned — on eight hits in six innings. He walked two without striking out a batter.

Tampa Bay took a 2-0 lead in the second. Yandy Diaz led off with a single and took third when left fielder Brett Callahan misplayed Ryan Vilade's base hit. Diaz scored on Junior Caminero's groundout. After an infield single put runners on the corners with one out, Aranda beat out a double-play attempt allowing Vilade to score.

In the fourth, Jorge Mateo started the inning with a double and took third on Nick Fortes' sacrifice bunt. Chandler Simpson put down a squeeze bunt and Mateo beat third baseman Kevin McGonigle's hurried flip to the plate.

Simpson's bunt extended his hitting streak to 15 games.

McGonigle doubled and scored on Callahan's sacrifice fly to make it 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, but Aranda homered in the sixth.

The teams continue the three-game series on Tuesday night, with Detroit RHP Jackson Jobe (1-1, 4.50 ERA) facing Rays LHP Ian Seymour (9-4, 4.17). The visiting team has won all four games this year, with the Tigers the only team to sweep Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field this season.

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The Detroit Tigers were swept in a three-game series by the Kansas City Royals, falling 11-7 on Sunday.

Nick Loftin and John Rave homered, and Kyle Isbel drove in three runs for the Royals, who extended their winning streak to eight games with the victory.

The Royals' winning streak is their longest since May 2024. Kansas City has won seven straight at home, only the fourth time in franchise history the team has completed an undefeated homestand of seven or more games.

Isbel drove in the first runs of the game with a two-run single, and Loftin added a three-run shot over the left-center field wall, putting Kansas City up 5-1.

Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez added RBI doubles in the fifth before Rave extended the Royals' lead to 9-5 with a two-run shot to right field.

Isbel and Loftin added RBI singles in the eighth to cap the scoring as the Royals completed the three-game sweep.

John Schreiber (1-3) worked two-thirds of an inning in the fifth and earned his first win of the season. Daniel Lynch IV pitched 4 1/3 innings of two-run ball, allowing four hits and striking out two. Steven Cruz worked a hitless ninth.

Kevin McGonigle had an RBI double and a game-tying home run for the Tigers. Gleyber Torres and Max Clark had run-scoring groundouts, Hao-Yu Lee added an RBI single and Ben Malgeri walked with the bases loaded in the seventh.

Andrew Sears (0-1) made his MLB debut for Detroit and allowed five runs on six hits in four innings.

Kansas City right fielder Jac Caglianone was scratched from the lineup due to ankle soreness.

Up next

The Royals have not announced a starter for their series opener against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Tuesday.

The Tigers have not announced a starter for their home series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

The Detroit Tigers were topped by the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Saturday night.

Kyle Isbel and Salvador Perez hit home runs, and Michael Wacha allowed one run and three hits in seven innings for the Royals.

Wacha (7-8) has been outstanding against the Tigers this year in his three starts, going a combined 21 innings while only allowing three earned runs combined.

He went seven innings in each of those starts, and on Saturday he walked one and fanned six.

Alex Lange and Craig Kimbrel pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings, respectively, with Kimbrel getting his first save since July 7, 2024, when he pitched for Baltimore.

Isbel hit a leadoff homer 400 feet to the right field bullpen in the third inning, his second in as many games, to put the Royals up 1-0.

Perez extended the Royals lead to 2-0 when he hit his 17th homer of the season, a 424-foot shot to straightaway center field, in the fourth inning.

The following inning, Hao-Yu Lee hit a 446-foot home run to left field to cut the deficit to 2-1. It was his seventh homer of the year.

Jac Caglianone doubled and then later scored on a wild pitch by Tanner Rainey in the sixth inning, giving the Royals a 3-1 lead.

Tigers starter Drew Anderson (4-5) went five innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits, striking out four and walking one.

The Royals have the second-longest winning streak in the majors at seven games behind the Phillies and haven't lost a game since Aug. 15.

Up next

LHP Daniel Lynch IV (4-4, 2.83 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals while the Tigers haven't announced their starter for Sunday's series finale.

Joshua Dobbs ran for a 50-yard touchdown and the Detroit Lions held on for a 17-13 preseason win against the Washington Commanders on Saturday.

Dobbs, expected to back up quarterback Jared Goff this season, was 7 for 12 for 74 yards with an interception and a fumble. He had two carries for 53 yards.

Detroit (1-1) played a few starters, but none of its biggest stars. Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Penei Sewell sat out on offense, and Aidan Hutchinson was among the defensive absences.

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels started, but he and much of the starting offense left after going three-and-out on the first series. Daniels was sacked once and threw an incompletion on his only pass attempt.

"I'm not worried about playing time — any reps are good," Daniels said. "We know we've gotten the foundation of our offense in place, so now we can start focusing on game planning as we get closer to the first real game."

Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Daniels was going to play one series, no matter how long it went.

"You want to thread the needle as close as you can," he said. "There are times in practice when he's taking all the reps he can, to get him a little more game ready."

Rookie Athan Kaliakmanis was impressive as the third Commanders quarterback, going 11 for 14 for 162 yards.

"It's great to put up some numbers, but it doesn't mean that much," said the former Minnesota and Rutgers starter. "I know I have a lot of work still to do."

The Commanders (1-1) kicked off to start the game, but still took a 7-0 lead after 51 seconds.

On the second snap from scrimmage, former Lion Amik Robertson sacked Dobbs at the Detroit 18, knocking the ball loose. Both teams had chances to recover, but the ball was knocked into the end zone and Joshua Josephs fell on it for a 7-0 lead.

"That's not all on (Dobbs)," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "We didn't pick up the protection the way we should, so he got hit."

Dobbs was intercepted on Detroit's second drive, but he faked a handoff and raced 50 yards for the tying touchdown on the third.

"I've always been a guy who tries to stay even-keeled, whether things are going good or bad," Dobbs said. "I try to react the same to a good play, like the run, exactly like I react to a bad one like the turnover on the second play. I just try to get focused on the next play and how I can improve."

Detroit's third quarterback, rookie Luke Altmyer, was 9 of 13 for 86 yards.

"We know Luke can see the field," Campbell said. "We just need to help him play faster, but that will come."

Washington took a 10-7 lead on Drew Stevens' 27-yard field goal with 8:45 left in the third quarter. Kaliakmanis led the offense on an 11-play, 78-yard drive after the second-half kickoff.

The Lions took their first lead on a 1-yard touchdown by Trayveon Williams late in the third quarter, and Jake Bates made it 14-10 with the extra point.

Stevens made a 32-yard field goal to bring the Commanders within 14-13 with 12:02 left, but Bates put the Lions back up by four with 2:26 left with a 37-yard field goal.

Washington rookie Robert Henry Jr. fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Lions used a fourth down conversion to run out the clock.

Injuries

Commanders: None announced.

Lions: OL Michael Niese was carted back to the locker room with a leg injury, and left the stadium on crutches while RB Jabari Small was in concussion protocol. WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. sustained a knee injury and will receive more tests, but Campbell said he is "worried" about the diagnosis.

Up next

Commanders: final preseason game on Friday in Baltimore against the Ravens.

Lions: finish preseason on Saturday at Indianapolis against the Colts.

Note: The attached video first aired on Aug. 20.

Serena Williams will team up with Carlos Alcaraz to create a powerhouse mixed doubles pair in her return to the U.S. Open.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced Saturday that Williams and Alcaraz had been given a wild card into the tournament. The mixed doubles main draw begins Tuesday.

It will be Williams' first time playing at the U.S. Open since 2022. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion returned to tennis this summer.

She has not said yet if she will play singles in New York, though the USTA is still holding one women's wild card if she wants to compete. 

Williams accepted wild card invitations to play both singles and doubles at Wimbledon in June after a nearly four-year absence from the court. She played singles, losing to 20-year-old Maya Joint in the first round. She withdrew from a doubles match with her sister Venus, citing a knee injury. 

Williams did play doubles with Venus at the Cincinnati Open earlier this month. The Cincinnati event marked their first doubles match since 2022, when they lost to Czech pair Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova. 

Alcaraz announced this week that he would return to defend his U.S. Open singles title after being sidelined since April with a right wrist injury. In February, he became the youngest man to ever complete a career Grand Slam after beating Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. 

The University of Utah is suing former assistant coach Freddie Whittingham for breach of contract after he left to join his brother Kyle's staff at Michigan.

The lawsuit filed in Utah's Third District Court is seeking more than $300,000 for breach of contract and at least $1 million for general and special damages.

The lawsuit contends Whittingham abandoned his role as Utah's tight ends coach to take the same job at Michigan despite being under contract through January 2027. It alleges Whittingham failed to provide written notice of resignation, get written consent from Utah to speak with Michigan and pay liquidation damages specified under the terms of the contract.

The lawsuit also claims Whittingham failed to devote full-time attention and energy to his duties at Utah and that he actively recruited Utah players to Michigan while still employed by the school.

Kyle Whittingham coached at Utah for 21 years and was the winningest coach in school history before stepping down last fall. Michigan hired him two weeks later to replace the fired Sherrone Moore.

Freddie Whittingham had been a part of his brother's staff at Utah for 14 years.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is being held out of practice with a hip injury, and coach Dan Campbell is hopeful the ailment doesn't linger into the season.

"I feel like we'll be OK, but I don't know," Campbell said Thursday.

LaPorta, coming off season-ending back surgery, was injured earlier in the week.

"He got hit in the hip, and it flared up a little bit," Campbell said. "It's a little aggravated, but we feel good long-term about him. We're resting for a little bit here and letting it calm down."

Detroit drafted LaPorta in the second round three years ago, and he earned Pro Bowl recognition as a rookie with 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns.

His production dropped in each of the past two years, including last season, when he was limited to career lows with 40 receptions for 489 yards and three touchdowns in nine games before having back surgery. He has 186 catches for 2,104 yards with 20 touchdowns in his career.

The Lions have signed several key players to long-term extensions in recent years, including running back Jahmyr Gibbs two weeks ago.

After they closed last season with a 9-8 record and missed the playoffs, LaPorta said he didn't expect to have talks about a new deal this offseason.

"How are they going to extend me if I can't play football right now? I've got to get healthy," LaPorta said last January.

Detroit hosts the Washington Commanders on Saturday in a preseason game.

Michigan Athletics will be displaying advertisements for Coca-Cola, Meijer and Google Gemini at the 99-year-old Michigan Stadium for the first time. 

The Leaders and Best Champion Partners Program, announced Wednesday, is described as a strategic approach to supporting student-athletes amid the fast-changing college athletics landscape.

Historically, Michigan Stadium was known for avoiding extensive commercialization and limiting in-stadium branding to select elements.

The program was developed in collaboration with Learfield's Michigan Sports Properties and designed to align revenue opportunities with Michigan's traditions and fan expectations, according to the university. 

The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.   

The program can include on-field and stadium-based branding, scoreboard integrations and end zone placements, digital and in-game sponsorship activations, with an exploration of jersey patches and additional premium assets. 

University of Michigan Director of Athletics Warde Manuel described the program as the next step in Michigan Athletics' proud tradition of excellence. 

"This is not a departure from who we are, but an evolution that strengthens our ability to remain a national leader, compete for championships, and support our student-athletes in the modern era of college athletics," Manuel said.

"Michigan Stadium is one of the most iconic and cherished venues in all of sports, and we have been deeply intentional about preserving its tradition, character, and identity. As we introduce this partner program, we will do so with care and purpose, ensuring that any brand partner presence is strategic, tasteful, and aligned with the values of the University of Michigan," he adds.

The vice president of Frontline Marketing at Coca-Cola North America, Felicia Hale, thanked the University of Michigan for selecting Coca-Cola as its exclusive beverage provider. 

"As an organization, we share many of the same values as U-M, including a focus on sustainability and community engagement," Hale said.

"As a Michigan-based company, we're honored to stand alongside an organization committed to creating memories and incredible experiences for our communities," said Melissa Conway, director of community partnerships and giving at Meijer.

"We are grateful for the meaningful investment these partners are making in Michigan Athletics and, most importantly, in our student-athletes. Their support will help position Michigan to thrive in the evolving revenue-sharing and NIL landscape while continuing to pursue championship success at the highest level," Manuel added.  

Brandon Lowe homered off Detroit closer Kenley Jansen with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-3 victory over the Tigers on Wednesday.

Rafael Flores Jr. homered twice for Pittsburgh, including a tying shot off Jansen (3-5) with one out in the ninth. Lowe followed two batters later with a towering shot to right field that clanged high off the foul pole.

The homer was the 27th this season for Lowe, the most in club history by a second baseman. It was the 83rd this year by the Pirates at PNC Park, the most at the venue since it opened in 2001.

Mason Montgomery (5-3) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth as the Pirates went 4-2 during a six-game homestand against Boston and Detroit.

Pirates ace Paul Skenes, the reigning National League Cy Young winner, allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings with four walks and five strikeouts. The towering 6-foot-6 right-hander has a 5.05 ERA over his last 16 starts dating to May 17.

The Pirates gave Skenes a full week to recover following a loss to Miami in which his fastball velocity dipped to 95 mph, well below the standard he set during the first two years of his career and a tick off from the upper-90s that had been the norm most of this season.

While Skenes did look a little fresher — he touched 98 mph and frequently was in the 96-97 range — his command remained scattershot. He threw 46 of his 81 pitches for strikes and was pulled after giving up an RBI single to Gleyber Torres with one out in the fifth.

It was the sixth time Skenes failed to pitch at least five innings this season. He had five starts of fewer than five innings pitched across his first two years in the majors combined.

Kevin McGonigle drove in two runs for the Tigers, who have lost five of six.

Tigers: Start a three-game set in Kansas City on Friday.

Pirates: Begin a nine-game road trip on Friday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.

The Wolverines will likely fall short of a double-digit win season for the third straight year with six opponents ranked in the AP Top 25, including four in the top 10. Coach Kyle Whittingham's debut season may hinge on how much Bryce Underwood improves in his second season, but he should bring stability to a program that desperately needs it, coming off the firing and arrest of former coach Sherrone Moore and NCAA rules violations that put the maize and blue on probation.

Underwood stepped on campus as the No. 1 recruit in the country last year and didn't live up to the hype, throwing just 11 touchdowns with nine interceptions in 13 games. Whittingham hired a quarterbacks coach, former NFL QB Koy Detmer, to give Underwood a resource he didn't have as a freshman.

Strengths include running backs and defensive line

Michigan's running game potentially can take some pressure off Underwood. Whittingham says he expects the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Underwood to be part of the attack by design and improvisation.

Jordan Marshall gained 6.2 yards a carry last year and finished with 932 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns for the Wolverines. Marshall is expected to share carries with freshman Savion Hiter, one of the nation's top-rated high school running backs. Utah transfers John Henry Daley, a second-team preseason AP All-America edge, and Jonah Lea'ea lead a revamped and strong defensive line.

Weaknesses include tight ends and linebackers

Michigan has sent a steady stream of tight ends, including Colston Loveland, to the NFL in recent years and that streak will likely stop. Zach Marshall has the most experience in the position group, but has just 16 career catches for 199 yards and a TD. The Wolverines lost their top four linebackers from last season, including Cole Sullivan, who transferred to Oklahoma. Troy Bowles has a shot to lead the group in his second season following two years as a seldom-used player at Georgia.

New faces

Daley, Lea'ea, CB Smith Snowden, WR JJ Buchanan (transfers from Utah), freshman WR Salesi Moa (flipped commitment to Utah), Hiter (highly touted recruit), S Chris Bracy (Memphis).

Key losses

DE Derrick Moore, TE Marlin Klein, DE Jaishawn Barham, LB Jimmy Rolder, FB Max Bredeson (all were selected in NFL draft), RB Justice Haynes (transferred to Georgia Tech), WR Semaj Morgan (transferred to UCLA), DB Jayden Sanders (transferred to Notre Dame), DB TJ Metcalf (transferred to Tennessee), DB Brandyn Hillman (transferred to Virginia) and Sullivan (transferred to Oklahoma).

Biggest games for the Wolverines

Vs. No. 10 Oklahoma (Sept. 12), vs. No. 6 Indiana (Oct. 24), at No. 2 Oregon (Nov. 14), at No. 1 Ohio State (Nov. 28).

Braxton Ashcraft allowed five hits over eight efficient innings, Oneil Cruz homered in his return from the injured list, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Ashcraft (13-5), a first-time All-Star this season, struck out four and didn't issue a walk while throwing just 80 pitches. The 26-year-old right-hander, coming off the first complete game of his career in a win over Miami last week, gave up a fifth-inning homer to Tigers rookie Brett Callahan but otherwise cruised to his fourth win in five starts.

Ashcraft became the first Pittsburgh pitcher since A.J. Burnett in 2012 to record a complete game and then work at least eight innings in his next start.

Mason Montgomery worked the ninth for his fifth save.

Cruz, out since early June after breaking his left hand, turned on a 2-2 knuckle curve from Keider Montero (9-8) in the fifth inning and sent it 422 feet to right-center for his 15th homer of the season and his first since June 2. It was Pittsburgh's 81st homer at PNC Park, tying the 2003 team for the most in a season at the ballpark that opened in 2001.

Spencer Horwitz and Bryan Reynolds added RBI singles for the Pirates, who have won four of six.

Detroit, in a tight race with a handful of clubs for the final AL wild-card spot, has lost four of five.

Montero was perfect through four innings but walked Esmeryln Valez on four pitches leading off the fifth before Cruz's homer. Montero surrendered three runs on four hits in five innings.

The series concludes on Wednesday. Struggling ace Paul Skenes (9-11, 3.88 ERA), working on a week's rest, starts for Pittsburgh against Detroit's Jackson Jobe (1-1, 6.23).

Kevin McGonigle hit a two-run homer, and the Detroit Tigers held off the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-5 on Monday night and moved into a three-way tie for the final AL wild-card spot.

Brett Callahan and Hao-Yu Lee also drove in two runs as the Tigers built an 8-1 lead before Pittsburgh scored four times in the sixth.

Zach McKinstry and both hit RBI singles in the first, and McGonigle's two-run shot in the second, his 13th of the season, made it 4-0.

McGonigle singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch in the sixth. Pirates reliever Yohan Ramirez walked the next three batters, resulting in McGonigle scoring before Callahan hit a two-run single to make it 8-1.

Framber Valdez (8-8) pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and five hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Kenley Jansen struck out two in the final inning for his 15th save of the year.

The Pirates scored their first run after Jake Mangum scored on a throwing error by Lee, then strung together a four-run inning in the sixth after Nick Gonzales doubled, Rafael Flores Jr. was walked and Mangum walked to load the bases. Nick Yorke cleared the bases with a double and Henry Davis hit an RBI single to make it 8-5.

Starter Carmen Mlodzinski pitched three innings and gave up eight hits and four earned runs. He struck out three and walked one.

With the Baltimore Orioles' 7-6 loss on Monday to Tampa Bay, the Tigers tied Baltimore and Texas for the final AL wild card.

RHP Keider Montero (9-7, 3.22 ERA) will start on the mound for the Tigers on Tuesday against the Pirates RHP Braxton Ashcraft (12-5, 3.88).