The Detroit Tigers need to recapture their momentum and have a chance to do so tonight on national TV.
Andrew BirkleDetroit Free Press
Updated Aug. 17, 2026, 5:28 p.m. ET
The Detroit Tigers need to recapture their momentum.
The Tigers entered last weekend’s three-game series with the Chicago White Sox feeling like they could do no wrong, having won nine of their last 12 games with a chance to overtake the White Sox for first place in the division.
The opposite happened.
The White Sox swept the Tigers and took command of the AL Central once again, entering Monday 5½ games up on the Tigers.
It’s a tough blow for the Tigers, no doubt, but there’s still a lot of baseball to play with 38 games remaining for Detroit, starting on Monday, Aug. 17 with a 7:05 p.m. game on ESPN against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Tigers will have struggling lefty Framber Valdez on the mound, while the Pirates will start Carmen Mlodzinski, who has been used as both a starter and reliever this year. Monday will be his third consecutive appearance as a starter, though he’s really used as more of an opener, as he hasn’t pitcher four innings or more since June 4.
The Tigers are 38-26 since the beginning of June, the second-best record in the AL behind the Boston Red Sox. The Pirates, meanwhile, are 29-37 in that time period, which is 22nd in MLB.
Following this series, the Tigers will travel to Kansas City for a three-game series against the Royals starting on Friday.
Here’s what you need to know about Monday night’s Tigers vs. Pirates game only on national TV.
Tigers vs Pirates prediction for Monday’s game
The Tigers bounce back after an ugly series at home against an AL Central rival and come out swinging against Pirates pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski, who has struggled in his last two outings, allowing nine runs in just 5 1/3 innings. Framber Valdez allows a few runs, but the Tigers build a big enough lead early to hold on for a series-opening victory.
The pick: Tigers 7, Pirates 4.
Tigers game time today vs Pirates
- Date: Monday, Aug. 17.
- Time: 7:05 p.m. ET.
- Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh.
Tigers TV channel today vs Pirates
- TV channel: ESPN.
- Streaming:Fubo, ESPN app.
- Radio: WXYT-FM, 97.1.
Monday’s game can be watched on ESPN and cannot be streamed locally with Detroit SportsNet.
AL Central standings
AL wild card standings
- 1. *New York Yankees: 69-55
- 2. *Boston Red Sox: 66-58
- 3. *Baltimore Orioles: 61-63
- Texas Rangers: 61-64, ½ GB
- Toronto Blue Jays: 61-65, 1 GB
- Detroit Tigers: 60-64, 1 GB
- Minnesota Twins: 60-65, 1½ GB
- Cleveland Guardians: 60-65, 1½ GB
*Holds wild-card spot. Standings are as of Monday morning.
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