Detroit Tigers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Game 77: Preview, TV, Lineup

Detroit Tigers (39-37) at Pittsburgh Pirates (43-33) — 7:08 PM ET

Comerica Park — Detroit, MI

TV: FSD

Radio: 97.1 The Ticket (click for affiliates)

Weather:  72 degrees, mostly cloudy

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When We Last Met

The Detroit Tigers wasted opportunity after opportunity on Tuesday night and were largely shutdown offensive other than J.D. Martinez‘s tying two-run blast in the eighth inning. Five innings later, the Pittsburgh Pirates pushed across a run in the 14th inning and another Detroit rally fell short in the bottom of that inning when Victor Martinez grounded into a game-ending double play.

Pitching Matchup

Alfredo Simon (7-4, 3.57) is looking to channel the magic that he had against this Pirates’ team more than two months ago. He pitched one of his better outings of the season, allowing just two hits and no runs in eight innings of a 1-0 Tigers’ victory. His last two outings have been a struggle, leading many to think his patented second half swoon has set in. Simon has allowed 12 earned runs on 14 hits over 9 innings of work.

A.J. Burnett (6-3, 2.01) has excelled back in Pittsburgh after an unsuccessful year in Philadelphia, although he is looking for his first win in a month. He picked up a no-decision due to poor run support, but only allowed two runs (one earned) in six innings. He has allowed just five runs over his last four starts, but his offense hasn’t helped him much, going 0-2. He was solid against Detroit in April, allowing two runs on four hits in 5.1 innings but was outdueled by Shane Greene in the 2-0 Tigers’ victory.

Detroit Tigers Lineup

1. Rajai Davis-CF
2. Ian Kinsler-2B
3. Miguel Cabrera-1B
4. Victor Martinez-DH
5. Yoenis Cespedes-LF
6. J.D. Martinez-RF
7. Nick Castellanos-3B
8. James McCann-C
9. Jose Iglesias-SS

Injuries

• Kyle Lobstein — 15-day DL
• Alex Avila — 15-day DL
• Joe Nathan – Out for the Season

Next: Detroit Tigers: Will they win the Price is Right?