Detroit Tigers at Pittsburgh Pirates Gameday, TV/Radio, Lineup

Detroit Tigers at Pittsburgh Pirates  — 6:05 PM ET

McKechnie Field — Bradenton, FL

TV: MLB.TV (Pittsburgh feed); MLB Network (Delayed, game will air in its entirety at 8:00 PM with Pittsburgh feed)

Radio: None

Live Stats: MLB Gameday

Weather: 78 degrees, clear

Game Preview

The Detroit Tigers play in a rare evening game in Spring Training, one of only two this season (the other being March 24 in Tampa against the Yankees). They will travel to Bradenton to face the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first of two games against the Bucs in Grapefruit League play (the other being March 31 in Lakeland).

The Tigers will look to avoid their sixth straight loss. Their tail spin (which means really nothing at this point), has seen them lose eight of their last nine contests and has run their record to 6-11.

When We Last Met

For the second straight season the Tigers and Pirates met in a four-game home and home set with the home team claiming both games in 2014.

This year the anointed natural interleague rivals will see their games split and the number increased as the AL and NL Central play each other. The first series will come early on as the Tigers will be the Pirates’ home opening opponents. It will mark the first time ever that Detroit will be a home opening opponent for a National League team. The teams will reunite for a three-game series at Comerica Park from June 30 – July 2.

Despite a slow start in 2014, Pittsburgh made the postseason for the second straight season after 20 straight sub-.500 years from 1993-2012. The Pirates lost in the wildcard game to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.

Detroit Tigers Lineup

After a rocky start in his first game in a Detroit Tigers uniform, Shane Greene was dominant over three innings in the team’s most recent victory, 12-2 over Atlanta last Friday.

Relievers scheduled to get work include Tom Gorzelanny, Ian Krol, and Kyle Ryan.

They will be opposed by well-traveled veteran A.J. Burnett. After spending two seasons in Pittsburgh, Burnett stayed in Pennsylvania to play for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2014 and had a terrible year (8-18, 4.59 ERA, 1.409 WHIP). He hopes to recapture the moderate success he had as a Pirate in 2012-13.

1.  Xavier Avery-RF
2. Jose Iglesias-SS
3. Ian Kinsler-2B
4. Tyler Collins-LF
5. Nick Castellanos-3B
6. Alex Avila-C
7. Daniel Fields-CF
8. Bryan Holaday-DH
9. Jordan Lennerton-1B

Next: Ranking the 2015 AL Central Division outfields