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PITTSBURGH -- 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• innings with four walks and five strikeouts. He has a 5.05 ERA over his last 16 starts dating to May 17.
While Skenes did look a little fresher -- he touched 98 mph and frequently was in the 96-97 range -- his command remained scattershot. He was pulled after giving up an RBI single to Gleyber Torres in the fifth.
Kevin McGonigle drove in two runs for the Tigers, who have lost five of six.
Trade made
Earlier Wednesday, the Pirates acquired veteran catcher Christian Bethancourt from the Yankees in exchange for cash considerations.
The 34-year-old Bethancourt had been playing for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, New York's Triple-A team.
Pittsburgh assigned Bethancourt to Triple-A Indianapolis, but he is expected to join the Pirates' taxi squad when the club begins a nine-game road trip in Los Angeles against the Dodgers on Friday.
He has appeared in 427 major league games across eight seasons, hitting .229 with 35 home runs and 135 RBIs for Atlanta, San Diego, Oakland, Tampa Bay, Miami and the Chicago Cubs.
Pittsburgh is looking for depth at catcher while Endy Rodriguez deals with left hip inflammation.
Bethancourt, who spent time in the Pirates farm system in 2021, hit .270 with 14 home runs, 45 RBIs and nine doubles in 67 games in the minors for the Cubs and Yankees.
Up next
Pirates: Begin nine-game road trip Friday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.