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Tigers, back home, beat Pirates

Aug 14, 2014 - 5:09 AM Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Victor Martinez went 3-for-4 with three RBI as the Detroit Tigers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-4, on Wednesday at Comerica Park.

Nick Castellanos tripled and homered to go along with his two RBI and Alex Avila also hit a home run for Detroit, which snapped a four-game skid that included losses in Pittsburgh on Monday and Tuesday. Torii Hunter and Miguel Cabrera each posted an RBI in the win.

"Hopefully we feed off this and keep going," Martinez said.

Buck Farmer made his major-league debut for the Tigers and allowed four runs on six hits and a walk over five innings. Blaine Hardy (2-1) picked up the win after tossing two scoreless innings in relief.

Detroit remains a half game behind Kansas City for first place in the AL Central.

Pirates starter Vance Worley (5-2) took the loss after giving up five runs -- three earned -- on nine hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

"That's a good hitting ball club," Worley said of the Tigers.

Travis Snider hit a two-run homer while Jordy Mercer and Russell Martin each had an RBI for Pittsburgh.

Castellanos hit his ninth homer of the season to break a 4-4 tie in the sixth, and the Tigers added some insurance with three in the seventh.

Ezequiel Carrera tripled to open the inning and Ian Kinsler walked before Cabrera was put on with an intentional pass. Martinez then pulled a 1-0 slider down the line into shallow right that plated a pair preceding Hunter's RBI groundout that capped the scoring to put the Tigers up 8-4.

Earlier, Martinez and Hunter opened the second with back-to-back singles. Don Kelly followed by grounding into a 4-6-3 double play, then Castellanos knocked Martinez in with a triple to center that bounced over the glove of a diving Starling Marte.

Josh Harrison doubled to left with one out in the third, moved up a base on Gregory Polanco's groundout and scored on Martin's double to right that tied the game at 1-1.

With one out in the visitors fourth, Pedro Alvarez lined a single to center that went in and out of the glove of a diving Carrera. Mercer then hit a high chopper down the third-base line that went into the corner for an RBI triple. Mercer's pop-up slide was short of third and he appeared to be tagged out just before he reached the bag, but video evidence was inconclusive and the play was upheld.

Snider followed with a blast to right that made it 4-1 after four.

Avila led off the fifth with a homer to right, then Eugenio Suarez singled to center. Carrera reached on an error by Jayson Nix and Kinsler laid down a sacrifice bunt which put a pair in scoring position. Cabrera skied a sacrifice fly to deep right, where Polanco made a running catch along the base of the wall for the second out in the inning. Martinez tied the game at 4-4 with a two-out single to center that plated Carrera.

Game Notes

Harrison has an extra-base hit in 13 of his last 17 games ... Detroit avoided just its second five-game losing streak since May 2012 ... Worley had been unbeaten in four starts since the All-Star break ... The Tigers outhit the Bucs, 12-6 ... Cabrera has 86 RBI this season, while Martinez has knocked in 71 ... Pittsburgh went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position ... A pair of pigeons halted play in the first inning for grazing at the pitcher's mound. The birds continued to hang around for the next few innings until the grounds crew humanely captured them with a fishing net and towels.