Tigers hammer 4 home runs in first 11 pitches

PITTSBURGH — Maybe the Detroit Tigers should get four unexpected days off more often. Or maybe they should just face a pitching staff in tatters.

Either way, Detroit’s struggling offense has found traction in Pittsburgh. Niko Goodrum, Miguel Cabrera, C.J. Cron and Jeimer Candelario all hit home runs in the first inning against Pirates starter Derek Holland as the Tigers drilled the Pirates 11-5 on Saturday.

Goodrum took the second pitch he saw from Holland (0-1) and sent it into the seats in left field. Cabrera did the same two batters later. Cron followed with a blast to center. Candelario finished it off with a shot that scraped over the wall to give Detroit its first four home run inning in seven years. The Tigers hit all four home runs in the first 11 pitches.

“When something like that happens in the game, you can feel it in the dugout,” Cron said. “People get excited and want to step up and do the same thing. It just snowballed. We all got some good pitches to hit and it was a fun first inning for sure.”

The Tigers were idle for four days when a series against St. Louis was postponed after covid-19 spread through the Cardinals’ clubhouse. Detroit arrived in Pittsburgh hitting just .205 on the season. That average has now jumped to .239 after scoring 28 runs in 20 innings against the Pirates.

“As an offense, four days off never hurt anybody,” Cron said.

Cabrera got three hits, including his 481st career home run. The