By AP
BRADENTON, FL – Pittsburgh starter Kevin Hart walked six of the 12 batters he faced, failing to make it out of the second inning in the Pirates' 6-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.
Hart came into spring training as the favorite to win the No. 5 spot in Pittsburgh's rotation, but the right-hander has struggled with his control. He threw 53 pitches, only 19 for strikes, and reached three-ball counts on nine batters - even hitting Ramon Santiago with a 3-0 pitch.
In four outings this spring, Hart has pitched 4 2-3 innings and walked 13 of the 30 batters he's faced. His ERA is 15.43.
Tigers left-hander Nate Robertson worked four innings and allowed two runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Pirates pitchers combined to issue 12 walks.