Pittsburgh @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 11, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 2, Detroit 6
The Pittsburgh Pirates are reeling while the Detroit Tigers are looking for offense to try and keep pace in the AL Central.
Both teams will look for a much-needed win Saturday when their interleague series continues.
Pittsburgh has lost six straight and seven of its last eight. The Pirates have already dropped seven in a row once this season and things don't seem to be getting any better.
Mired in last place in the NL Central, the Pirates became the first team swept by the Washington Nationals this season. To make matters worse, they were cut to ribbons by rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg in his 14-strikeout major league debut on Tuesday.
The Pirates took a 1-0 lead on Friday against Justin Verlander in the third inning, but could manage just one more run the rest of the way. Andrew McCutchen had a pair of doubles and an RBI and continues to be one of the few bright spots for Pittsburgh.
In his second season in the majors after being called up in June last year, McCutchen had 186 hits in his first 162 big-league games. Only two Pirates have laced that many hits in their first 162 games since 1930 - Dave Cash, who had 187 in 1970-71, and Hall of Famer Arky Vaughan, who had 193 in 1932-33.
Detroit has been relying on Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez for offense this season. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Cabrera went 0-for-4 on Friday and Ordonez was out of the lineup - but Detroit still found ways to score.
Ordonez was out for his fourth straight game with an abdominal injury, but the bottom of the Tigers' order came up big against the Pirates. Ninth-hitter Ramon Santiago hit a two-run homer and Brandon Inge and Alex Avila had three hits and combined to drive in three runs.
Looking to half Pittsburgh's losing skid will be starter Paul Maholm (4-4, 3.80 ERA). The Pirates have won two of Maholm's last three starts - including a 6-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants last Saturday.
Detroit has lost the last three times that Jeremy Bonderman (2-4, 4.40) has started, but a matchup with lowly Pittsburgh may be just the thing to turn the tide.