DETROIT (AP) — Willi Castro and Akil Baddoo scored on third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes’ two-out error during Detroit’s three-run fifth inning, and the Tigers edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 on Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader.
The Tigers finished with just three hits, but they scored three unearned runs on their way to their second victory in nine games. Alex Lange (1-1) got two outs for the win, and Gregory Soto worked the ninth for his fourth save.
Detroit’s bullpen, which entered the game with a major league-best 1.97 ERA, tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
“We have a great bullpen,” starting pitcher Michael Pineda said. “They did a very good job of holding the game. We’re excited to have a bullpen like that because we can win a lot of games.”
Dillon Peters pitched 3 1/3 innings for Pittsburgh, stretching his season-long scoreless streak to 16 2/3 innings. Bryse Wilson (0-1) struck out six in 3 2/3 innings, but was charged with the loss.
“We’ve got a long few days ahead of us and I just wanted to get out there and just attack them early, and get ahead early,” Peters said. “And I thought Bryse and I — Wil (Crowe), too — did a great job getting ahead of those guys and keeping them on their heels.”
The Pirates lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Pittsburgh took a 2-0 lead in the fifth on Ben Gamel’s two-run triple off Lange.
Detroit responded in the bottom half. Jeimer Candelario led off with a double and Castro reached on an error by shortstop Cole Tucker.
Baddoo’s one-out walk loaded the bases. Robbie Grossman knocked in the Tigers’ first run with a sacrifice fly. Hayes then booted Javier Báez’s bouncer, allowed two more runs to score.
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