Nick Maton homers, reserves contribute in Detroit Tigers’ 10-7 win over Pittsburgh Pirates

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-7, on Thursday at LECOM Ballpark.

The Tigers improved to 8-6 in Grapefruit League play.

What happened

Both teams failed to score until the third inning, when Akil Baddoo put the Tigers ahead 1-0 by stealing home during a rundown. Left-hander Rich Hill caught Ryan Kreidler between first and second base, and while the Pirates were distracted, Baddoo utilized his speed to score from third base.

“It’s two athletes being athletic,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “It’s not a play that we put on. We wanted Kreidler to run. Today, we wanted to try to start a lot of runners on the bases. He and Akil fed off one another, and then you can’t beat the speed.”

The Tigers snapped a 4-4 tie with a five-run seventh inning.

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Jermaine Palacios drove in the first run by cranking right-hander Colin Selby’s fastball for a ground-rule double, and Mario Feliciano plated the second run with a double to center field. Andrew Navigato tacked on the third run with a sacrifice fly, and top prospect Jace Jung — in his first MLB spring training plate appearance — provided the fourth run with an RBI single on a first-pitch fastball. Brendon Davis then doubled to put the Tigers up 9-4.

Donny Sands hit a 94.5 mph fastball over the right fielder’s glove for an RBI double to make it 10-4 in the eighth.

The Tigers finished with 13 hits, six walks and six strikeouts.

“He had a big smile on his face when he came around and scored,” Hinch said of Jung. “It’s nice to get him over here and get him a little taste of what’s ahead for him. We like him as a player. Hopefully, he’ll be back in the next couple of days.”

Starting off

The Pirates evened the score, 1-1, in the bottom of the third inning against right-hander Michael Lorenzen. He avoided damage following back-to-back walks to start the second inning, but the Pirates got to him in the third.

Two singles, separated by a wild pitch, put runners on the corners for Bryan Reynolds, who grounded into a double play on a first-pitch cutter. Still, it was enough to score the runner from third base.

“As my pitch count got up, the arm started slowing down a little bit,” Lorenzen said, “so I was spiking the changeups. The further we get into this thing, the more conditioned I’ll get. I should be good.”

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Lorenzen walked the next batter, Andrew McCutchen, to conclude his outing. Right-handed reliever Beau Brieske replaced him and struck out Carlos Santana for the third out.

Signed to a one-year contract, Lorenzen allowed one run on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts in his second spring training start. He missed bats but struggled to dominate the strike zone.

“I feel like my pitch mix is there,” Lorenzen said. “I feel like I’m getting a lot of swing and miss. It’s just with two strikes, they’re shortened up and fouling off some good pitches. It’s more the pitch decision, the pitch-making and what pitch to throw next with the pitch clock.”

He generated 10 whiffs, including four with his changeup, and threw 32 of 56 pitches for strikes. His fastball averaged 94.2 mph, and he chipped in three whiffs with his cutter and three more with his fastball.

“Volume-wise, he got a little bit tired,” Hinch said. “He wasn’t particularly sharp. Obviously, the walks are something we’re trying to pay attention to. All in all, pretty good volume day.”

At the plate

The Tigers put up three runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

Nick Maton blasted a hanging slider from Pirates right-handed reliever Wil Crowe to right field for a solo home run in the fourth. It was Maton’s third home run of spring training. After Jake Rogers doubled, Kerry Carpenter extended the Tigers’ lead to 3-1 by scoring him with a triple.

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In the fifth, Pirates shortstop Ji Hwan Bae made a throwing error on a ground ball from Andre Lipcius. His mistake gifted the Tigers another run for a 4-1 advantage. Before Lipcius stepped to the plate, César Hernández doubled and Kreidler drew a walk.

Hernández and Palacios each had two-hit performances.

On the mound

Taking over for Lorenzen, Brieske delivered 1⅓ scoreless innings and recorded two strikeouts. He threw 11 of 19 pitches for strikes, and his fastball averaged 96.7 mph with two whiffs.

“We could have sent him out for another inning, but we wanted to end his outing on a good note,” Hinch said. “As a bridge type of pitcher, or even pitching toward the back end where he’s going to do multiple innings, it’s an example of how he can come in, get an out, go back out and get three more outs, and maybe even continue on.”

Right-hander Will Vest pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

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Matt Wisler, another right-handed reliever, struggled again in his third outing of spring training, both with his velocity and strike throwing. He conceded three runs on three hits and one walk.

Right-hander Miguel Díaz finished the sixth and struck out the side in the seventh, sending down Travis Swaggerty (87.3 mph changeup), Carter Bins (81.7 mph slider) and Ryan Village (94.4 mph fastball).

“His changeup is a really effective pitch,” Hinch said. “When he’s inside the strike zone and gets leverage, he can factor in.”

José Cisnero, another righty, delivered a scoreless eighth inning.

Righty Austin Bergner, called up from minor-league camp, put runners on the corners with two outs, then allowed a three-run home run by Drew Maggi. The Pirates pulled within three runs. Bergner gave up a single to the next batter, but finally closed things out with a fly ball.