Pittsburgh @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 12, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 3, Detroit 4
Armando Galarraga was not close to perfect in his last start, but he likely won't need to be in his next one, either.
Galarraga takes the mound Sunday as the Detroit Tigers look to finish off a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates in an interleague matchup.
Now known for the infamous near "perfect" game on June 2 against the Cleveland Indians, Galarraga (2-1, 2.77 ERA) allowed two runs and seven hits in five innings against the Chicago White Sox in his last outing on Tuesday.
Lauded for the way he took the fact that umpire Jim Joyce flat out missed the call at first base that would have ended the perfect game, Galarraga looks to remain perfect at home against a Pirates team that has scored the fewest runs in the majors.
Galarraga is 2-0 with a 0.55 ERA in three games at Comerica Park, including two starts. His close call with history came at home, as did his other win on May 16, when he went 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run and three hits in a 5-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Detroit has won the first two games of the series, outscoring Pittsburgh 10-5 in the process. The Tigers appear to be in great shape to complete the sweep as they are 31-6 in their last 37 interleague games at home.
Carlos Guillen’s leadoff home run in the top of the 10th inning Saturday lifted Detroit to a 4-3 victory.
Pittsburgh has lost seven straight and just doesn't score any runs. The Pirates have scored three runs or less five times during their current slide. Pittsburgh became the last team in baseball to cross the 200-run mark with its three-run output on Saturday and is now tied with Baltimore as the lowest-scoring team in the majors with 201 runs.
It should come as no surprise that the Pirates and Orioles are a combined 15-49 on the road and the worst road teams in their respective leagues.
Jeff Karstens (1-2, 4.81 ERA) gets the start for Pittsburgh.
Karstens has appeared in 11 games this season for the Pirates and will be making his sixth start of the campaign. He posted his lone win of the season on May 8 when he tossed six innings of shutout ball while yielding just three hits against the St. Louis Cardinals.