Pirates at Tigers
A change in scenery was all the Detroit Tigers needed to get the bats going and get back into the win column. The Tigers will try to put together a similar performance in front of the home fans and earn a sweep of the home portion of a four-game, home-and-home interleague set when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.
Detroit managed three runs in two losses at Pittsburgh on Monday and Tuesday but turned the tables when the series shifted on Wednesday, pounding out 14 hits while ace Justin Verlander stymied the Pirates in a 10-0 win. Nick Castellanos was 2-for-25 over seven games, including 0-for-6 with a pair of strikeouts in Pittsburgh, before breaking out and leading the offensive charge on Wednesday with three hits and five RBIs. The Pirates missed a chance to reach .500 with the loss and squandered an opportunity to gain a game in the National League Central on the first-place Chicago Cubs. Pittsburgh, which sits 3 1/2 games behind Chicago in the Central, sends ace Gerrit Cole to the mound on Thursday opposite Tigers righty Drew VerHagen.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, ATT SportsNet-Pittsburgh, FSN Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (9-8, 4.00 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Drew VerHagen (0-1, 5.00)
Cole turned in his sixth straight quality start on Saturday against San Diego but suffered his first loss in that span while allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks in six innings. The former No. 1 overall pick surrendered a total of eight runs in 32 innings over his previous five turns. Cole is 8-5 with a 3.34 ERA in 16 career interleague starts, including 1-1 with a 2.41 mark in three chances against Detroit.
VerHagen is getting a second chance to start after allowing two runs and four hits in five innings without factoring in the decision at Baltimore on Saturday. The Vanderbilt product made two appearances out of the bullpen after being recalled in July and surrendered a total of three runs in four innings in that role. VerHagen went 7-7 with a 4.90 ERA in 19 starts for Triple-A Toledo before being recalled.
WALK-OFFS
1. Tigers RHP Michael Fulmer (elbow inflammation) played catch on Wednesday and could return to the rotation next week.
2. Pittsburgh 1B Josh Bell doubled twice on Wednesday, breaking a string of eight consecutive games without an extra-base hit.
3. Detroit 2B Ian Kinsler went 3-for-4 with four runs scored and four RBIs on Wednesday, matching his RBI total from the previous 17 games.