The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-2 Thursday afternoon. Adam Frazier had three hits and scored twice. Erik Gonzales added two hits and drove in two runs. Starting pitcher Mitch Keller allowed two runs on five hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out five for his second win of the year. Rich Rodriguez earned his third save.
The Pirates open a weekend series in Minnesota tonight. First pitch is 8:10pm. Pre-game on WISR will be 7:45pm. J.T. Brubaker will start of the Bucs. Former Pirate J.A. Happ will start of the Twins. Brubaker is 2-0 with a 1.76 ERA so far this season. Happ does not have any decisions, with a 3.12 ERA for Minnesota.
After starting their season 1-6, the Pirates have gone 8-4 and have not lost a series since April 7th. They have won three of their past four series, and split their four-game series with San Diego.
The Pirates made several moves again Thursday prior to their game. They designated outfielder Dustin Fowler for assignment and added veteran infielder Todd Frazier to the active roster. He was the designated hitter in the game yesterday, going 0-for-4.
Pitcher Chad Kuhl was placed on the 10-day Injured List with right shoulder discomfort. They brought up Geoff Hartlieb to take his spot.
Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes has had a setback after the 24-year old re-aggravated his wrist injury while taking batting practice. He has been sent back to Pittsburgh for an evaluation.