BRADENTON, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-7, on Thursday at LMCU Ballpark.
The Tigers improved to 8-6 in Grapefruit League play.
What happened
Both teams failed to score until the third inning, when Akil Baddoo put the Tigers ahead 1-0 by scoring during a rundown. Left-hander Rich Hill caught Ryan Kreidler between first and second base, and while the Pirates were distracted, Baddoo used his speed to score from third base.
The Tigers snapped a 4-4 tie with a five-run seventh inning.
CARLOS MONARREZ: Phil Nevin manages Angels but let his son, Tyler, find his own path with Tigers
JEFF SEIDEL: I took a break from spring training and found resilience when Hurricane Ian hit
Jermaine Palacios drove in the first run by cranking right-hander Colin Selby’s fastball for a ground-rule double, and Mario Feliciano plated the second run with a double to center field. Andrew Navigato tacked on the third run with a sacrifice fly, and Jace Jung — in his first MLB spring training appearance — provided the fourth run with an RBI single on a first-pitch fastball. Brendon Davis then doubled to put the Tigers up 9-4.
Donny Sands hit a 94.5 mph fastball over the right fielder’s glove for an RBI double to make it 10-4 in the eighth.
The Tigers finished with 13 hits, five walks and five strikeouts.
Starting off
The Pirates answered the Tigers and evened the score, 1-1, in the bottom of the third inning against right-hander Michael Lorenzen. He avoided damage following back-to-back walks to start the second inning, but the Pirates got to him in the third.
Two singles, separated by a wild pitch, put runners on the corners for Bryan Reynolds, who grounded into a double play on a first-pitch cutter. Still, it was enough to score the runner from third base.
NEW STARTER: Why Tigers see Michael Lorenzen as a starting pitcher with untapped potential
Lorenzen walked the next batter, Andrew McCutchen, to conclude his outing. Right-handed reliever Beau Brieske replaced him and struck out Carlos Santana for the third out.
Signed to a one-year contract, Lorenzen allowed one run on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts in his second spring training start. He missed bats but struggled to dominate the strike zone.
He generated 10 whiffs, including four with his changeup, and threw 32 of 56 pitches for strikes. His fastball averaged 94.2 mph, and he chipped in three whiffs with his cutter and three more with his fastball.
At the plate
The Tigers put up three runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
Nick Maton blasted a hanging slider from Pirates right-handed reliever Wil Crowe to right field for a solo home run in the fourth. It was Maton’s third home run of spring training. After Jake Rogers doubled, Kerry Carpenter extended the Tigers’ lead to 3-1 by scoring him with a triple.
WBC: Tigers’ Andy Ibáñez puts roster battle on pause to play for Team Cuba
PACMAN: Why Tigers prospect Izaac Pacheco is Mr. Fearless: ‘I love him’
In the fifth, Pirates shortstop Ji Hwan Bae made a throwing error on a ground ball from Andre Lipcius. His mistake gifted the Tigers another run for a 4-1 advantage. Before Lipcius stepped to the plate, César Hernández hit a double and Kreidler drew a walk.
Hernández and Palacios each had two-hit performances.
On the mound
Taking over for Lorenzen, Brieske delivered 1⅓ scoreless innings and recorded two strikeouts. He threw 11 of 19 pitches for strikes, and his fastball averaged 96.7 mph with two whiffs.
Right-hander Will Vest pitched a scoreless fifth inning.
NEW RELIEVER: Trevor Rosenthal plans to be ready to pitch on Opening Day, but Tigers won’t rush him
Matt Wisler, another right-handed reliever, struggled again in his third outing of spring training, both with his velocity and strike throwing. He conceded three runs on three hits and one walk.
Right-hander Miguel Díaz finished the sixth and struck out the side in the seventh, sending down Travis Swaggerty (87.3 mph changeup), Carter Bins (81.7 mph changeup) and Ryan Village (94.4 mph fastball).
José Cisnero, another righty, delivered a scoreless eighth inning.
Righty Austin Bergner, called up from minor-league camp, put runners on the corners with two outs, then allowed a three-run home run by Drew Maggi to pull the Pirates within three runs. Bergner gave up a single to the next batter, but finally closed things out with a fly ball to right by Malcom Nunez.
Three stars
1. Brieske; 2. Díaz; 3. Palacios.
Next up
Friday (1:05 pm) vs. New York Yankees in Lakeland (Bally Sports Detroit).
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers tame Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-7 behind Nick Maton homer