The Detroit Tigers can finally crawl back to .500 for the season on Friday evening at Pittsburgh's PNC Park, as Jim Leyland's team will open another key three-game set with the Pirates.
The Tigers will send 6-foot-8 pitcher Doug Fister to the hill for the always-pivotal Game 1 of the series. Fister owns a 2.78 ERA through seven starts this year, but is just 1-3 and has not received quite as much run support as some of his teammates. Offensively, Detroit will keep things going with Austin Jackson and Quintin Berry atop the lineup, and will round things out with Ramon Santiago and Jhonny Peralta at the two middle infield positions.
Pittsburgh starter A.J. Burnett will take the ball in search of his seventh consecutive victory, which would represent a career-high. Burnett beat the Tigers at Comerica Park back on May 19 after throwing six innings of two-run ball and has proceeded to lower his ERA by 1.26 in his five starts since.
Here are the starting lineups for Friday's game:
Tigers
1. Austin Jackson - CF
2. Quintin Berry - LF
3. Miguel Cabrera - 3B
4. Prince Fielder - 1B
5. Delmon Young - DH
6. Alex Avila - C
7. Jhonny Peralta - SS
8. Ramon Santiago - 2B
9. Doug Fister - SP
Pirates
1. Alex Presley - LF
2. Neil Walker - 2B
3. Andrew McCutchen - CF
4. Garrett Jones - RF
5. Casey McGehee - 1B
6. Pedro Alvarez - 3B
7. Rod Barajas - C
8. Clint Barmes - SS
9. A.J. Burnett - SP
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