Pirates at Tigers
The Pittsburgh Pirates begin a new era without their MVP center fielder and No. 1 starting pitcher when they open a three-game interleague series Thursday at the Detroit Tigers, who are also in rebuilding mode. Perennial All-Star center fielder Andrew McCutchen was dealt to San Francisco while fire-balling right-hander Gerrit Cole was sent to Houston in the offseason as Pittsburgh hopes to retool quickly after two seasons without a playoff game.
“We’ve got young guys that are scratching, knocking on the door of their primes,” Pirates 25-year-old first baseman Josh Bell, who belted 26 homers last season, told the Pittsburgh Gazette. “We’ve got to come up and capitalize on these opportunities, not let them pass by, because then we’ll end up in the same as last year - trudging forward a bit and fizzling out.” Ivan Nova gets the start in the opener for the Pirates and Detroit counters with fellow right-hander Jordan Zimmermann as both hurlers look to rebound from disappointing seasons. Ron Gardenhire takes over as manager for the Tigers, who have been picked to finish last in the American League Central Division by many experts but still have former MVP first baseman Miguel Cabrera and are expecting another big season from right fielder Nicholas Castellanos (career-high 26 homers and 101 RBIs in 2017). Rookie third baseman Jeimer Candelario is also a key for Detroit after a strong spring training as he registered seven doubles and a pair of homers.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, FS Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Ivan Nova (2017: 11-14, 4.14 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Jordan Zimmermann (2017: 8-13, 6.08)
Nova came to camp 10 pounds lighter and determined to improve on an up and down season that ended with a combined record of 1-6 over 10 starts in August and September. The 31-year-old Dominican Republic native gave up a career-most 29 homers over a career-high 187 innings in 2017 and had a tough time on the road (3-12, 5.02 ERA) while going 8-2 with a 2.80 ERA at home. Cabrera is 5-for-15 with a homer against Nova, who is 0-3 with a 7.04 ERA in six games (five starts) lifetime versus the Tigers.
Zimmermann won his fewest games since 2011 last season and posted the worst ERA of his career while allowing 29 homers in 29 starts, but he told reporters he is feeling strong. “He’s our go-to guy,” Gardenhire told reporters. “I don’t worry about (Zimmermann) because we know who he is. He’s an established major league pitcher when healthy, and that’s our goal, to keep him healthy.” Newcomer Corey Dickerson is 6-for-10 with a homer versus Zimmermann, who is 1-3 with a 3.96 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates.
WALK-OFFS
1. Detroit DH Victor Martinez, who was limited to 107 games by cardiac issues last season, belted five homers in Grapefruit League action.
2. Pittsburgh CF Starling Marte moves to McCutchen’s spot after playing just 77 games last season due to a PED suspension.
3. The Pirates won three of the four meetings in 2017 after the Tigers took the series 3-1 in 2016.