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V-Mart unhappy with hit-by-pitch

Tigers designated hitter one of four players plunked in Tuesday's contest

DETROIT -- Victor Martinez isn't happy with right-hander Gerrit Cole and the Pirates.

During the fourth inning of Tuesday's 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh at Comerica Park, Detroit starter Justin Verlander plunked Starling Marte on a 1-2 pitch with two outs and a runner on first. Then, in the bottom half of the frame, Cole hit Martinez with a 95-mph fastball, and the Tigers' designated hitter appeared to take offense, staring at the pitcher as he walked slowly to first.

In Martinez's opinion, Cole threw at him on purpose, and the move wasn't warranted.

"Yeah, everyone knows that [he hit me on purpose]," Martinez said to Detroit sports radio station 97.1 The Ticket. "I mean, I have no respect for no one on that team, including Cole and their coaching staff. If they think that Verlander hit Marte with a 1-2 count, he was battling that at-bat. If they really think we did it on purpose, they're playing the wrong sport. Nothing else to say."

Verlander then hit Pedro Alvarez with his first offering of the fifth inning, prompting home-plate umpire Chris Segal to warn both benches. The right-hander claimed afterward that the pitch had gotten away from him.

Detroit's Blaine Hardy hit Gregory Polanco with one on and one out in the eighth, but the move didn't appear to be interpreted as intentional by players or umpires.

Though four players were hit in the contest, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus didn't think much of any animosity during his postgame news conference. Certainly, he didn't express the same frustration as Martinez later would.

"Everyone seemed pretty calm," Ausmus said. "I didn't see anyone head toward anybody. I didn't see anyone come out of the dugout; I didn't see hitters move toward the pitchers. Seemed pretty calm."

Alejandro Zúñiga is an associate reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByAZuniga.
Read More: Detroit Tigers, Gerrit Cole, Victor Martinez