Tigers 3 - 5 Pirates
Final
  for this game

Pirates rally in seventh, top Tigers

May 30, 2013 - 4:43 AM Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Pedro Alvarez and Travis Snider were double the trouble on Wednesday.

Alvarez belted a game-tying double and Snider followed with a go-ahead RBI two-bagger as part of a four-run seventh inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates downed the Detroit Tigers, 5-3, in the opener of a brief two-game interleague set.

Neil Walker smacked a solo homer among his two hits for Pittsburgh, which has won eight of its last 10 games and are a season-high 13 games over .500.

Bryan Morris (2-2) tallied the win with a hitless seventh, while Jason Grilli notched his MLB-leading 22nd save after working around a leadoff single in the ninth.

Coming two outs away from his second career no-hitter in his last start, Anibal Sanchez (5-5) fanned eight and surrendered just a run on two hits until the deciding seventh frame where he allowed four runs on five hits and a walk.

"A game up here can change quickly and you just have to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of the seventh inning.

Miguel Cabrera cracked a two-run shot for the Tigers, who had won six of their last eight tilts.

The two teams split the first two-game series of the home-and-home set in Detroit.

The Tigers had a 3-1 advantage heading into the seventh.

After Andrew McCutchen flied out to begin the inning, Garrett Jones singled and Russell Martin walked before Alvarez drilled a first-pitch, belt-high fastball that one-hopped the fence in left-center to plate Jones and Martin to tie the game.

Again first-pitch swinging, Snider followed by banging a double off the 21- foot wall in right to give the Buccos a 4-3 lead. Snider advanced to third on a wild pitch and came home on Jordy Mercer's suicide squeeze for a two-run cushion.

"He just walked a guy and all of a sudden kind of lost it there momentarily," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said of Sanchez.

The Pirates opened the scoring in the fourth on Walker's blast, but Detroit responded and plated three in the fifth. Andy Dirks lined a one-out double to right and Cabrera's towering opposite field shot into the seats in right gave Detroit a two-run margin.

The potentially game-tying run in the ninth, Cabrera, launched a drive to the warning track in right-center to end the game.

Game Notes

Pirates starter A.J. Burnett gave up three runs on five hits and four walks over six innings ... Burnett and Sanchez have 89 strikeouts on the year, which is tied for second in MLB ... Pittsburgh has won seven of its last nine home tilts against Detroit.






Related News