Pittsburgh Pirates survive late scare to top unbeaten Detroit Tigers 5-4

The Pittsburgh Pirates survived a a late scare in the team’s regular season home opener to top the unbeaten Detroit Tigers 5-4 Monday afternoon. Pirates’ starting pitcher Gerrit Cole delivered six innings of one-run ball, striking out eight in the process. Coming off a performance in which he threw only five innings while giving up three runs against the Cincinnati Reds, this was a much-needed performance from Cole.

The Bucs offense also delivered with three home runs from Josh Harrison, Pedro Alvarez, and Corey Hart, plating four of the team’s five runs on the day. The long ball has been a common theme for this team, as Pirates players have already hit nine on the year. Harrison delivered a solo shot on the first pitch he saw on the day, while Hart’s two-run blast came in pinch-hit fashion.

In the home opener at PNC Park, the action didn’t disappoint. With the Pirates up 2-0 heading into the seventh inning, bases hits by Miguel Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedes helped load the bases and chased Cole in the process. Jared Hughes came in and held Detroit to only one run, securing a double play and a foul out to end the inning.

The Pirates proceeded to go up 5-1 after a solo home run from Alvarez and a pinch-hit two-run home run by Hart sent PNC Park into a roar. The crowd of 39,933 was a record for a regular season game at PNC Park.

Detroit plated three runs on four hits in the ninth off of Pirates’ closer Mark Melancon before he managed to close the door to preserve the Pirates 5-4 victory.

What Stood Out

Pittsburgh handed Detroit its first loss of the season, yet the Pirates continued to rely on the long ball for the majority of their offensive production, hitting three more home runs on the day. That’s not a bad thing, as Alvarez and Hart (who have accounted for four of the nine home runs) man a position where power is often a priority. The Pirates’ offense is averaging a tick over four runs a game on the year and has shown signs of moving away from the low production seen in the opening series against Cincinnati.

Starling Marte continues to struggle at the plate. He’s managed only three hits in 26 at-bats, coupled with 14 strikeouts. That total doesn’t bode well for a player that has had high strikeout totals in the past and is hoping to improve his plate discipline at the dish. The bullpen also continued to struggle, as Melancon was the latest victim, giving up three runs in his one inning of work. The Pirates’ bullpen was looked at as a strength heading into the season, and has been a big weakness so far.

What’s Next

The Pittsburgh Pirates (3-4) will face the Detroit Tigers (6-1) in the second game of the series Tuesday night at 7:05 PM in the first night game at PNC Park this season. A.J. Burnett (0-0) gets his second start of the season for the Pirates as he will face Tigers’ righty Shane Greene (1-0), as Burnett hopes to pitch longer than the 5.1 innings he managed his first time out.

Next: Pittsburgh Pirates takeaways from Brewers series win