Through the first three innings, it looked like the Pirates might put up a fight against the best team in baseball. 

Three runs were scored on four hits, including two on this single to right field off the bat of Alexander Canario: 

But after their two-run third inning against Tigers starter Casey Mize, the Pirates' bats went silent. From that point forward, they generated just one hit -- an Oneil Cruz single in the fifth -- over the final six innings of a 7-3 loss to the Tigers tonight at Comerica Park.

"I think we put some runs on the board early and couldn't get anything going after that," Don Kelly said. "Mize settled down a bit, got into a groove early on, made some quick outs as the game went on. He did a good job keeping us off balanced with the split slider, and locating his fastball."

The Pirates generated some momentum in taking five of six games from the Phillies and Marlins to conclude their most recent homestand, but they've taken steps in the wrong direction once again over the last five games. A lack of offensive support has played a large part in that. They've lost four of those and have scored a combined 10 runs in that span. They remain dead-last among teams in Major League Baseball in runs scored (235). The Royals are eight runs ahead of them at 243.

"It's tough. Just something that we have to continue to get better at," Kelly said. "Good start to the game, just gotta continue throughout and continue to put runs on the board, especially against a team like this."

• Bailey Falter allowed three runs on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts tonight against the Tigers. He gave up a two-run home run to Wenceel Perez in the second inning and a solo shot to Javier Baez in the fifth. Things could have been a lot worse, though. Falter allowed four hits -- all on his fastball -- in the second and stranded runners on the corners by inducing a pop out off the bat of Parker Meadows and striking out Gleyber Torres.

"He competed well and gave us a chance to win," Kelly said. "Couple innings there got away from him a little bit, but he was able to slow it down, get back in the zone and get out of those innings."

 • Joey Bart was 0 for 3 in his return to the Pirates lineup after missing time due to a concussion. Certainly more to be desired in terms of his offensive performance, but he said it was exciting just to be able to be back out there in a big-league uniform.

"Going through that whole process obviously wasn't fun," Bart said. "Didn't expect it to take that long, you know what I mean? But at the end of the day, those are things you've got to be careful with and leave it up to the doctors and the league and everybody. Just glad I can get back out here on the field and get going."