Greene continues hot stretch, driving in 4 runs for 2nd time in a week as Tigers beat Pirates 9-2

DETROIT (AP) – Riley Greene drove in four runs for the second time in a week, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 9-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader.

Tigers starter Tarik Skubal (8-2) improved to 8-0 over his last 13 starts, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six.

Greene, who also had four RBIs in Friday’s 11-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds, is hitting .333 with 15 RBIs in 16 games in June. He also hit one of Detroit’s four sacrifice flies – a total they had only reached once in at least 70 years. They also had four in an 11-inning, 8-7 win against the Baltimore Orioles on June 10, 1985.

Andrew Heaney (3-6) took the loss, giving up seven runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings.

Zach McKinstry had a solo homer in the fifth inning for the Tigers.

Andrew McCutchen had an RBI single in the fifth, and Tommy Pham got a sacrifice fly for the Pirates in the sixth.

Pittsburgh had a chance to get to Skubal early, loading the bases with one out in the first on a single and two walks. However, Skubal struck out Ke’Bryan Hayes and retired Isiah Kiner-Falefa on a fly ball to end the inning.

The Houston Astros were the last MLB team to have four sacrifice flies in a game, doing it in a 14-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on June 13, 2021.

The teams finish the doubleheader at 6:10 p.m., with Pirates ace RHP Paul Skenes (4-6, 1.78) facing a Tigers opener. RHP Keider Montero (3-1, 4.24) is expected to do the bulk of the pitching.