The Detroit Tigers took on the Pittsburgh Pirates at a sold-out McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Florida, at 6:05 PM EST Wednesday night. They lost their sixth straight in the Grapefruit League by a score of 8-7. However, it was good to see the Tigers' stars back in the lineup after some were nursing injuries. 

Alex Avila was back in action, while Jose Iglesias and Ian Kinsler played together for the second time this spring. 

Shane Greene got the start for Detroit and gave up two runs on four hits and no walks. He struck out four over 3 2/3 innings pitched. His worst pitch was a fastball that hung and was driven out by Tony Sanchez. It was a deep shot to center.

Kinsler had himself a nice day at the plate with a double, bunt base hit, and another single to make it a 3-for-4 day. Kinsler has nine hits this spring, and seven of them are for extra bases. Iglesias went 0 for 3 but did draw a walk in the game. He eventually scored on Kinsler's double in the seventh. 

Tom Gorzelanny gave up a bomb to Starling Marte. It was a two-run shot that went about 410 feet. Then, Kyle Ryan gave up a three-run home run to Willy Garcia. Once again, the bullpen lost it for Detroit. 

The Tigers (6-12) will face the Washington Nationals (6-8) on Thursday at 1:05 PM EST. The Tigers will send Anibal Sanchez (0-0, 6.48 ERA) to the mound. He will be opposed by Gio Gonzalez (0-1, 7.71 ERA). The game will be played in Viera, Florida. 

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Evan Petzold
Evan Petzold is a Detroit-based journalist with expertise in covering the Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings. A member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) and Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association (DBSA), he brings a unique skill set in reporting and broadcasting to the table.