Detroit Tigers vs Pittsburgh Pirates Match Player Stats On Aug 08, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Aug 8, 2017

PITTSBURGH -- Chad Kuhl faltered after a strong start but pitched -- and hit -- well enough to win his second consecutive decision as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 6-3 on Tuesday at PNC Park.

Kuhl (5-7), held the Tigers scoreless on two hits through the first five innings before Detroit scored three runs in the sixth. The right-hander came out after the sixth, and relievers A.J. Schugel, George Kontos and Felipe Rivero kept the Tigers quiet the rest of the way. Rivero earned his 10th save.

Kuhl, who came up to the Pirates in 2016, drove in the first two runs of his major league career and Andrew McCutchen hit a solo homer to pace the Pittsburgh attack. Kuhl pitched six innings, giving up three runs on five hits. He struck out five and walked one.

Left-hander Matthew Boyd (5-6) gave up six runs (five earned) on nine hits in four innings to take the loss.

Boyd retired the first six Pirates hitters, striking out three, but quickly faded, although he had some bad luck with soft but well-placed hits. Starling Marte's bloop single scored Jordy Mercer, who led off the third with a double, as Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead.

McCutchen's 23rd homer leading off the fourth made it 2-0. With two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth, Kuhl blooped a two-out, bases-loaded single just beyond the reach of shortstop Andrew Romine. The Pirates led, 4-0.

Josh Harrison and McCutchen singled to start the Pirates' fifth. McCutchen went to second on Boyd's wild pitch, and David Freese singled up the middle for a 5-0 lead.

Edwin Mujica replaced Boyd, and Josh Bell reached on third baseman Nicholas Castellanos' error. After Sean Rodriguez struck out, Mercer's sacrifice fly scored the sixth Pittsburgh run.

The lead would be tested. Kuhl retired 10 straight before singles by pinch hitter Jeimer Candelario and Ian Kinsler in the sixth. Jim Adduci's double produced the first Tigers run. After Justin Upton lined out softly, Kinsler scored on a wild pitch and Miguel Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly.

Suddenly, it was 6-3, but Detroit's offense went quiet the rest of the way.

NOTES: The Pirates are 10-5 at PNC Park against left-handed starters, winning seven of the past eight decisions. ... INF Jeimer Candelario, obtained in a trade that sent Alex Avila and Justin Wilson to the Chicago Cubs, made his Tigers debut and got his first hit, a pinch single. ... Pirates LF Starling Marte's run-scoring single in the third inning was the first RBI in his past 12 games.