Sanchez, undefeated Tigers continue road trip in Pittsburgh

Detroit 6-0 to start year

PITTSBURGH, Penn. – The Detroit Tigers (6-0) are off to their best start in 30 years after sweeping division rivals Minnesota and Cleveland to kick off 2015.

Now, Detroit will carry its undefeated record into the first interleague matchup of the season at PNC Park. The Tigers and Pirates have sparked a mini rivalry over the last four years, meeting 17 times during interleague play. The teams split the series in 2012 and 2014, but Pittsburgh owns a 10-7 record against the Tigers since 2011.

Monday will mark the fifth year in a row that the Tigers have taken a trip to the Steel City, where they've lost four straight. Detroit dropped 10 of its last 12 games against the Pirates in PNC Park.

The Tigers' last series win in Pittsburgh came in July of 2006 behind three hits from first baseman Chris Shelton. Todd Jones loaded the bases in the 9th inning before notching his 22nd save, while Zach Minor earned the win.

Anibal Sanchez will look to set the tone for this year's three-game set after pitching 6.2 shutout innings against the Twins in his first outing of the season. Sanchez allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out six Wednesday.

First Pitch: 1: 35 p.m. on FSD

Pittsburgh will counter with 24-year-old Gerrit Cole, who earned a no-decision in his opening start against the Cincinnati Reds. Cole has started 42 games for the Pirates in his young career, posting a 3.49 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. Last season Cole struck out nine hitters per nine innings and made a living off of keeping hitters in the ballpark.

The righty has never pitched against the Tigers. Yoenis Cespedes has the only career hit against Cole on the Tigers' roster, while Ian Kinsler went 0-3 in one matchup against him with the Texas Rangers. For the rest of the hitters, it'll be their first look at the talented Pirates hurler.

Cole runs into a Detroit offense that absolutely dismantled Cleveland's highly-regarded pitching staff. The Tigers have scored an MLB-high 47 runs through six games and lead the league in batting average, slugging percentage and RBI.

Each of the top four hitters in the American League are in the Tigers' starting lineup: Jose Iglesias (.526), Miguel Cabrera (.520), Anthony Gose (.450) and Ian Kinsler (.440). J.D. Martinez is hitting .286, with three home runs and seven RBI from the No. 5 spot in the order.

But his role might change Monday, as Victor Martinez will not start any of the three games in Pittsburgh. The full-time designated hitter is coming off a tweak of his surgically repaired left knee and will not play in the field this week. Manager Brad Ausmus says he will be used as a pinch hitter during the series.

Alex Avila will return to the lineup Monday after a day off. The Tigers' catcher is hitting .308 with five walks and an on-base percentage of .500 to start the season.

Cabrera, who hit 11-14 against the Indians over the weekend, carries the league lead in RBI into Monday's contest. The slugger knocked in four runs on two home runs, a single and a double Sunday.

Brad Ausmus' first interleague lineup looks like this:

Anthony Gose, CF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
J.D. Martinez, RF
Yoenis Cespedes, LF
Nick Castellanos, 3B
Alex Avila, C
Jose Iglesias, SS
Anibal Sanchez, SP

The Pirates' starting lineup looks like this:

Josh Harrison, 3B
Gregory Polanco, RF
Andrew McCutchen, CF
Neil Walker, 2B
Starling Marte, LF
Pedro Alvarez, 1B
Francisco Cervelli, C
Jordy Mercer, SS
Gerrit Cole, SP

A win Monday would give Detroit its best start since 1984, when the eventual World Series champion Tigers started the year with nine straight victories.

Detroit will play its first two night games of the season to finish the series in Pittsburgh. Shane Greene is scheduled to start Game 2 against A.J. Burnett on Tuesday.