Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Derek Holland struck out six batters with no walks and allowed only four hits in 5 1/3 innings against the Detroit Tigers.
Problem was, three of them were home runs.
C.J. Cron and Jeimer Candelario homered off Holland in the second inning, and Cameron Maybin hit one in the sixth as the Tigers beat the Pirates, 4-1, on Tuesday in a Grapefruit League game at Joker Marchand Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. Holland otherwise was efficient, throwing strikes on 44 of 62 pitches.
The Tigers have 34 homers this spring, the most in MLB.
The Pirates scored in the fifth, when JT Riddle hit a leadoff triple to right field and scored on Socrates Brito’s single to right to cut it to 2-1. Riddle, who started at third base, went 2 for 3 and leads all Grapefruit League players with three triples this spring.
Detroit starter Matthew Boyd allowed three hits, struck out five, walked one and hit a batter in 4 1/3 innings.
The Tigers also scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning against Dovydas Neverauskas. Travis Demeritte walked and scored on Willi Castro’s double to deep center for a 4-1 lead.
The Pirates are off Wednesday, when Chris Archer is expected to pitch a simulated game. Joe Musgrove is expected to start when the Pirates play the Toronto Blue Jays at 1:05 p.m. Thurday at LECOM Park in Bradenton.
Love baseball? Stay up-to-date with the latest Pittsburgh Pirates news.
Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)