The Detroit Tigers found themselves on the wrong end of a 4-1 decision to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night after plenty of drama surrounding the MLB Trade Deadline earlier in the day. And as they would later admit, the happenings of the day would be weighing on their minds over the course of the game.

The 2023 Trade Deadline affected everyone on the Detroit Tigers

It was an RBI triple from Pitsburgh's Endy Rodriguez and a two-run homer by Liover Peguero that led the way for the Pirates on Tuesday night. But as the Tigers would say afterward, their thoughts were focused on the MLB Trade Deadline.

“Yeah, today is a hard day for everybody,” said Tigers' starter Matt Manning. “It’s a tough day to pitch in, trying to lock in for a game and also wondering if your buddies are going to be there before or after the game. It’s one of those things where you just put your head down and get to work.”

The Tigers did in fact trade pitcher Michael Lorenzen to the Philadelphia Phillies, and also had a deal in place to send Eduardo Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, though he vetoed the move with his contractual no-trade clause.

“Mike was awesome,” Manning said of Lorenzen. “It’s tough seeing him go. I kept refreshing the page and hoping he’d slip through and stay with us for another couple of months. I learned a lot from him. I’m going to keep in touch with him for as long as I can.”

Key Points

• The Detroit Tigers traded Michael Lorenzen to the Phillies
• They had to follow that up by playing the Pirates, a 4-1 Pittsburgh win
• As Matt Manning admitted, the Deadline was on their minds

Bottom Line: The Tigers must regroup

It's the reality of the business that the Tigers are in right now that sometimes, players and good friends can get dealt away.

They have no choice but to get back at it later today when they once again face the Pirates for the second and final game of their series at PNC Park.

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