Marlins Complete Season Sweep As Pirates Lose 4-1
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) -- The Florida Marlins finished off both a three-game sweep and a season sweep of the Pirates with a 4-1 win Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.
The Marlins have won 14 of their last 16 games against the Pirates overall. The Bucs have also now moved to within two losses of clinching their 19th straight losing season.
For the Pirates, James McDonald allowed five hits, walked four and struck out three. He is 5-2 with a 3.27 ERA in 15 home starts this season.
For Florida, Javier Vazquez pitched six scoreless innings to help the Marlins to victory. Vazquez struck out seven, allowed three hits and walked two while improving to 4-2 with a 1.95 ERA in his last nine starts.
The Pirates' Ryan Doumit left after five innings with a bruised chest, which he injured when he was crossed up by a pitch from McDonald in the fourth.
Florida scored all of its runs in the fifth. Vazquez opened the inning with a walk against McDonald and scored on Gregg Dobbs' two-out double.
Gaby Sanchez then singled home Dobbs and Bryan Petersen ahead of Donnie Murphy, who chased McDonald with a two-run double to center.
Jason Jaramillo hit a two-out RBI single in the seventh to snap the Pirates' 16-inning scoreless drought.
Leo Nunez pitched a perfect ninth for his 34th save.
The Marlins went 6-0 against the Pirates this year, including all three games this weekend for their first series sweep in Pittsburgh since 2000, the year before PNC Park opened.
Up next, the Pirates begin a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals Monday at 7:05 p.m. at PNC Park.
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