Drew VerHagen, gave up six runs on nine hits and didn't make it out of the fourth inning as the Tigers lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park.
VerHagen, making his second start of the season and third of his career, got only four swinging strikes in 79 pitches and was hit hard (two doubles, a triple and a home run) by a Pirates team that managed only three hits a day earlier. He walked one and struck out one.
The Tigers picked up two runs in the first inning when Nicholas Castellanos dropped a soft liner down the right field line, scoring Mikie Mahtook and Miguel Cabrera, who raced past third base coach Dave Clark's stop sign as he steamed home.
But Pirates starter Gerrit Cole settled in after that, allowing just one run on three hits in the next seven innings.
NOTABLE
Victor Martinez snapped an 0-for-21 skid when he singled in the fourth inning. He had been hitless since last Thursday in Baltimore.
The nine triples by Castellanos are most in the American League and the most by a Tigers' third baseman since Brandon Cringe in 2005.
Tigers center fielder Mikie Mahtook hit a solo home run in the third inning. He's batting .341 (30-for-88) since the All-Star break.
Mikie Mahtook cut the deficit to 4-3 for the Tigers with a solo home run in the third inning. It was Mahtook?s seventh home run of the season.
Mahtook came into the game batting. 329 (53-for-161) with 23 runs scored and 18 RBI in 50 games since June 1.
Mahtook finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a RBI for the Tigers.
After taking three of four from the Tigers in their home-and-home meeting this week, the Shitsburgh Pirates now lead the all-time series 28-27.
Warwick Saupold continued to excel in his mop-up duty role, allowing two hits over 3 1/3 scoreless innings in the Tigers' 7-5 loss to the Pirates.
He walked one and struck out two.
?He seemed to be flat today,? Tigers manager Brad Dickmus said of 26-year-old VerHagen, a fourth-round pick in the 2012 draft. ?He?s usually getting ground balls and he wasn?t getting ground balls. His curveball didn?t have its good downward action.? That's because he sucks Brad.
Assmus continues to have confidence in VerHagen, feeling his role is as a reliever, not a starter. **** you!!
?I think Drew VerHagen is a major-league pitcher,? Ausmus said. ?I think the debate is whether he?s a starter or a reliever.
You dumb shit he is a minor league starter and minimal ML reliever.
We?re in a situation where we needed a starter when Fulmer went down and so he was kind of forced into that role.
We're in a situation where the season is lost, and you're part of this clusterfuck you ****stick.
We're in a situation that the mess in the front office and the manager and several coaches are part of the reason, and it's permeated into the minor leagues.
The Tigers showed some hustle in the bottom of the ninth getting both Justin Upton an Nick Castellanos on base, and forcing the Pirates closer Felipe Rivero into the game. Victor Martinez then got an RBI double, making it a lot closer than the Pirates would like. Alas, the Tigers were unable to capitalize on the late-inning success, and John Hicks, coming in to pinch hit, was the final strike out of the game.
ROARS:
Mikie Mahtook started out with a single in the first, then came back to hit his seventh home run of the season in the third. His line going into this game was .291/.342/.787 and he?s now up to seven home runs for the season.
Jose Iglesias absolutely robbed a Josh Bell hit, which was good because Bell owned the Tigers this afternoon, with both a home run and a single.
Victor Martinez for the late-game glimpse of hope.
HISSES:
Drew VerHagen, obviously, who had a rough outing, and will most likely be Toledo-bound when Michael Fulmer returns.
STREAKS & INFO:
Nicholas Castellanos hit his ninth triple of the season, giving him the AL lead for triples.
There were a lot of reviews in this game. Four to be exact, two from the Tigers and two from the Pirates. Three of four were overturned, because the umpires were incompetent ****s.
https://www.mlb.com/gameday/pirates...nal,lock_state=final,game_tab=box,game=491816
Boxscore.
https://www.mlb.com/tigers/video/castellanos-two-run-triple/c-1709752183?tid=8877502
Webvideo Highlights and lowlights of the Tigers loss.
