Notes: Ausmus doesn't expect any lingering effects from Tuesday's game
DETROIT -- Tigers manager Brad Ausmus isn't expecting any lingering effects from Tuesday night's game.
Not because of Victor Martinez calling out the Pirates after getting hit by a pitch and not because of the five and a half-hour, 14-inning game.
"You don't want to play 14 innings every night," Ausmus said. "That could take its toll, it could take a toll on a bullpen. It's part of the game. Really, I guess you start to get weary but you're fine the next day, especially a night game. If it was a day game today, it would be a different story."
Martinez had strong words for the Pirates after getting hit by Gerrit Cole in the fourth inning.
"I have no respect for no one on that team, including Cole and their coaching staff," Martinez said. "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."
Ausmus didn't seem to be concerned about what Martinez said.
"I don't make anything of it," Ausmus said. "I think that's Victor speaking his mind."
Both Cole and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle responded to the comments Wednesday.
Hurdle, speaking to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Stephen J. Nesbitt about Martinez, "I wasn't aware he was the voice of reason."
The Pirates have been hit by pitches a major league-leading 44 times this season and are apparently weary of it.
Cole told the Post-Gazette, "That's his opinion, man," saying he did not hit Martinez intentionally. "Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. I can't control who he respects and who he doesn't.
"I let one go inside."
Cole also said he respects Martinez.
"How can you not," Cole said. "He's been in the league for like 15 years. One of the best hitters in all of baseball."
Meanwhile, Ausmus said he thought Martinez getting hit was intentional.
"At the time I did," Ausmus said. "I don't know for a fact it was, but I thought it was. I made no connection to (Starling) Marte whatsoever. No. I didn't know why, but I did not connect it to Marte. Now with that said, I could be wrong, maybe it wasn't intentional. But initially my gut was that it was intentional."
Ausmus didn't plan to mention anything to the team about it.
"No. It's yesterday's news," Ausmus said.
JD'S HOT JUNE
Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez had quite a month of June, batting .290 with 16 runs scored, three doubles, 11 home runs and 26 RBI.
Martinez was tied for the AL lead with 26 RBI in June and was second with 11 home runs.
The 11 June home runs are tied for third most in team history and the most since Mickey Tettleton hit 11 in June of 1993.
Martinez wasn't reading his press clippings when he wasn't hitting as well and he's not reading them now.
"If it wasn't for you guys asking me, I wouldn't even think about it," Martinez said. "It's one of those things you try to avoid as a player, especially when you're feeling good. You don't want to hear about it, you just want to go out there and do it. You don't want to think about it."
For the season, Martinez is batting .275 with a team-high 20 home runs -- tied with Los Angeles' Mike Trout for second in the AL behind Albert Pujols (24) -- and 48 RBI.
Martinez is second to Miguel Cabrera on the Tigers in RBI.
Cabrera has 53, tied with Oakland's Stephen Vogt for second. New York's Mark Teixeira leads the AL with 54.
Ausmus said Martinez deserves to be an All-Star.
