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McCutchen, Correia propel the Pirates
AP
Photo
A Detroit Tigers' Max Scherzer pitch goes closely by Pittsburgh Pirates' Kevin Correia in the fifth inning of the interleague baseball game on Saturday, May 21, 2011, in Pittsburgh. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle argued unsuccesssfully with home plate umpire Chris Guccione after nothing was called but the Pirates won 6-2.
AP
Photo
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Ronny Cedeno (5) hops to avoid Detroit Tigers' Brandon Inge while completing a double play on Tigers' Austin Jackson in the ninth inning to end an interleague baseball game on Saturday, May 21, 2011, in Pittsburgh. The Pirates won 6-2.
Pirates 6
Tigers 2
Next: Pittsburgh vs.
Detroit, today, 1:35 p.m.
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH
Andrew McCutchen went 3 for 4 and scored twice, and Kevin Correia finally won at home as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 6-2 on Saturday night.
Correia (6-4) entered the game winless in three starts at PNC Park this season but allowed two runs and seven hits over 6 2-3 innings, striking out four as the surging Pirates captured their season-high fourth straight win.
Joel Hanrahan helped Pittsburgh escape a two-on, no-out jam in the ninth to pick up his 13th save and hand the Tigers their fifth consecutive loss.
Detroit starter Max Scherzer (6-1) began the night tied for the American League lead in wins and looked dominant at times. He retired 10 straight during one stretch before tiring in the sixth when the Pirates touched him up for three runs.
An RBI single by Garrett Jones and sacrifice flies by Neil Walker and Lyle Overbay gave the Pirates the lead. They added three more runs in the seventh, highlighted by a two-run single by Matt Diaz.
The victory helped Pittsburgh match its entire 2010 win total in interleague play. The Pirates went a woeful 2-13 against National League teams last year, including an 0-3 mark against the Tigers.
Yet manager Clint Hurdle has urged his team to forget about the past, and the Pirates have proven to be more resilient so far than the team that lost 105 games a year ago.
The win lifted Pittsburgh’s record to 22-23, a solid if not spectacular start for team that hasn’t posted a winning season since Jim Leyland led them to the National League East title nearly 20 years ago.
The Pirates have done it thanks in part to the rise of Correia, who has embraced his role as the team’s No. 1 starter.
He’s been solid on the road, winning five of his six road starts, but not so hot at home. He went 0-3 with a 6.50 ERA in his first four appearances at PNC Park after signing as a free agent last winter.
Correia was efficient if not dominant against the Tigers, his only hiccup came in the fourth when Detroit pushed across a pair of runs by briefly snapping out of a woeful funk.