By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com
Tigers 8, Pirates 2- The Tigers snapped their two-game losing streak with a victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday afternoon.
Detroit jumped out to a 4-0 lead with two runs in the first and second inning.
Justin Upton and J.D. Martinez each had four hits in the game to lead the Tigers offensively while Victor Martinez and Ian Kinsler chipped in with two hits.
Upton hit a 451 foot home run to center for his first home run for Detroit to open the scoring.
Kinsler added a homer for the Tigers while both Victor and J.D. Martinez each doubled and knocked in two runs.
The Tigers starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez picked up his second win of the season, allowing two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings.
The Pirates scored their lone runs on a two-run home run by Starling Marling in the sixth inning to cut Pittsburgh’s deficit to 4-2.
Detroit responded scoring the final four runs in the contest with three in the sixth inning and one in the seventh.
The Tigers will go on the road to face the Pirates in a two-game series in Pittsburgh starting on Wednesday night.
Record: 4-2
Tied for 2nd Place in AL Central Division (1/2 game behind Chicago)
½ game ahead of NY Yankees for last playoff spot
Magic # to clinch a playoff spot: 157
Magic # to clinch an AL Central Division title: 157
Next Game: 04/13/2016 @ Pittsburgh Pirates 7:05 p.m. @ PNC Park
Hitting stats: Justin Upton HR (1) 2 RBI (2), Ian Kinsler HR (2) RBI (6), Victor Martinez 2B (1) 2 RBI (6), J.D. Martinez 2B (2) 2 RBI (3), Miguel Cabrera RBI (4)
Pitching stats: Anibal Sanchez W (2-0) 5.2 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 3 BB 4 K.
Heat 99, Pistons 93– The Miami Heat handed the Pistons a loss in Detroit’s home finale on Tuesday night.
The Pistons will close out their regular season Wednesday night in Cleveland, where they will open the post season this weekend in the first round of the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoffs.
Detroit fell behind 19-17 after the first quarter, were tied 50-50 at halftime and trailed 71-69 after three quarters.
The Heat closed the game with a 28-24 fourth quarter run to seal the win.
Miami was led by Joe Johnson with a game-high 25 points while Luol Deng chipped in with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope paced the Pistons with 17 points while Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris added 16.
Detroit will head into its final regular season game with a 43-38 record.
Record: 43-38
3rd Place in Central Division (14 games behind Cleveland)
8th Place in Eastern Conference (14 games behind Cleveland)
Playoff spot clinched!
Eliminated from Central Division and Eastern Conference title contention.
Next Game: 04/13/2016 @ Cleveland Cavaliers 8:00 p.m. @ Quicken Loans Arena
Stats: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 17 points, Tobias Harris 16 points, Marcus Morris 16 points 9 rebounds, Steve Blake 10 points 7 assists, Andre Drummond 9 points 18 rebounds.
