PITTSBURGH, Penn. – The Detroit Tigers (7-1) will break a nine-year drought Wednesday if they can knock off the Pittsburgh Pirates (3-5) in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set.
Detroit last won a series at PNC Park in 2006, behind standout performances from first baseman Chris Shelton and pitcher Zach Minor. Detroit has taken four trips to the Steel City since that win, but lost all four series and eight of 10 total matchups.
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Now, courtesy of eight shutout innings from Shane Greene Tuesday, the Tigers will get another shot to close out the Pirates. But to do so, they'll need a strong start from Alfredo Simon.
First Pitch: 7:05 p.m. on FSD
Simon takes the mound after a strange start against the Cleveland Indians kicked off his Tigers career. The 33-year-old starter breezed through Cleveland's order for five shutout innings before allowing five straight hits and leaving the game. He was ultimately charged for three earned runs in 5.1 innings.
On Wednesday, Simon will match up with a team he's much more familiar with. As NL Central foes in 2014, Simon started four games against the Pirates and held the lineup to a .196 batting average over 25 innings. Pittsburgh hit three home runs against Simon in the four starts, but won only one of the meetings.
Simon will be opposed by lefty Francisco Liriano, who kicked off his third season in Pittsburgh with seven solid innings of work against the Reds on Opening Day. Liriano allowed just two hits and two runs in the start, but settled for a no-decision in the eventual loss.
Detroit has an extensive history against Liriano, who pitched in Minnesota for the better part of seven years to begin his career. Liriano keeps Miguel Cabrera in check, as the slugger owns a steady .281 average in the matchup with two home runs in 32 at-bats. Ian Kinsler does not fare well against the left-hander, bringing a lifetime .176 mark into Wednesday's meeting.
Victor Martinez hits .464 with six doubles in 28 at-bats against the 31-year-old, but will start the game on the bench as a pinch hitter.
Last season the Tigers beat Liriano in Comerica Park behind RBIs from J.D. Martinez in the 5th and 6th innings. Martinez broke a scoreless tie with a homer to left field in the 5th before drawing a bases loaded walk in the following frame to make it 2-0. Liriano was pulled after six innings despite allowing just two runs on three hits and four walks. He struck out nine Tiger batters.
Detroit will look to gets its offense back in a groove after scoring just two runs on nine hits Tuesday.
The starting nine will look like this:
Rajai Davis, CF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
J.D. Martinez, RF
Yoenis Cespedes, LF
Nick Castellanos, 3B
James McCann, C
Jose Iglesias, SS
Alfredo Simon, SP
The Pirates will counter with this lineup:
Josh Harrison, 3B
Gregory Polanco, RF
Andrew McCutchen, CF
Neil Walker, 2B
Pedro Alvarez, 1B
Francisco Cervelli, C
Jordy Mercer, SS
Francisco Liriano, SP
Though the Tigers own the second best record in MLB after Tuesday's victory, the 7-0 Royals remain atop the AL Central Division. Kansas City will continue a series against the Twins at Target Field Wednesday night, with the finale kicking off the following afternoon.
Thursday will be an off day for the Tigers as they prepare for a 10-game home stand against the White Sox, Yankees and Indians.