Miguel Cabrera had four hits and three RBIs while Robbie Grossman had four hits with a solo homer Wednesday as the visiting Detroit Tigers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 to avoid a three-game sweep.
Pittsburgh remains the only team in the major leagues that has not swept a series this year.
Jeimer Candelario added an RBI single for the Tigers (66-75).
Detroit starter Matt Manning gave up one run and four hits with four strikeouts and no walks in three innings. He exited after a comebacker hit by Colin Moran on the final out of the third resulted in a left knee contusion.
Drew Hutchison (1-1), the second of six Tigers pitchers, tossed two scoreless, one-hit innings for the win.
Kevin Newman hit an RBI single for the Pirates (50-90).
Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller (4-11) allowed four runs and 10 hits in five innings, logging six strikeouts and one walk.
With two outs in the first, Grossman singled to left-center. Cabrera followed with a double off the wall in right to produce a 1-0 Detroit lead.
Pittsburgh tied it in the second, also with two outs. Ben Gamel led off with a double that bounced over the wall in left-center. Jacob Stallings struck out before Gamel advanced to third on Cole Tucker’s flyout to center. Gamel scored on Newman’s single to left.
In the third, Detroit’s Akil Baddoo singled to right with one out. After Jonathan Schoop struck out, Grossman singled to right, sending Baddoo to third. Cabrera knocked in Grossman — another two-out RBI — with a base hit to right-center to put the Tigers ahead 2-1.
Schoop walked with one out in the fifth. Grossman singled to left, with Schoop moving to second. Cabrera singled to center to drive in Schoop. Candelario singled to center, knocking in Grossman for a 4-1 Detroit lead.
Against Pittsburgh reliever Cody Ponce in the seventh, Grossman’s fourth hit was a two-out solo homer to right, his 22nd long ball of the season.
–Field Level Media