The Detroit Tigers (19-20) enjoyed a signature pitching performance from ace Justin Verlander on Friday night to begin their weekend interleague series with the Pittsburgh Pirates (18-21) on a winning note.
The Tigers will look to young, left-hander Drew Smyly to try to keep the Pirates offense in check and deliver a second consecutive win for Detroit for the first time since mid-April as they continue to look for a spark to jump-start a disappointing season thus far. Smyly is 1-0 after seven starts so far this season, but is coming off of his worst outing of the year after giving up a couple of home runs and four runs to the Chicago White Sox.
Detroit will see a familiar face on the mound for Pittsburgh as they give the ball to veteran right-hander A.J. Burnett who was last seen at Comerica Park with the New York Yankees, beating the Tigers in Game 4 of the American League Divisional Series. Burnett is 1-2 with a 5.12 ERA in five starts for the Pirates this season.
The game is scheduled to start at 4:05 p.m. ET and will be televised Fox Sports Detroit.
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