Pittsburgh (6-6) had posted two straight shutouts and three in five contests before losing 11-1 to Atlanta on Sunday. Now, the Pirates will try to slow down a Marlins lineup that is averaging 6.41 runs.
The Marlins went 3-2 against the Pirates last season even though their starting pitchers posted a 4.88 ERA.
Andrew Miller (0-0, 6.43 ERA), who has never faced Pittsburgh, will take the mound for Florida in this series’ opener. This will be the 23-year-old left-hander’s second straight start after two relief appearances.
In his last outing, Miller gave up four runs and four hits in 4 2-3 innings as Florida beat Atlanta 10-4 on Wednesday night.
Pittsburgh will counter with Ross Ohlendorf (0-2, 4.91), who is 0-5 with a 5.88 ERA in seven career starts. The right-hander allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings as Pittsburgh lost 4-1 to Houston on Wednesday night.
Ohlendorf has never faced the Marlins.
The Marlins are getting solid contributions from their bench, in particularly their pinch hitters.
“You take out the regulars and those guys always pick you up,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said.
Marlins pinch hitters are 7-for-15 (.438), tied with the Dodgers for tops in the NL. Alfredo Amezaga is 2-for-2 and Ross Gload is 3-for-5, giving him a career .303 average (30-for-99) as a pinch hitter.
Gload has delivered pinch hits in each of his last three appearances, but he didn’t get a chance to extend that streak Sunday. That’s because Gload was in the starting lineup, batting fourth and playing first base.
“If you come to the field and you’re not in the lineup, there’s a good chance you’re going to get into the game,” Gload said. “From the fifth inning, I try to stay loose. We’ll take some swings in the (indoor batting) cage.”
Marlins 7, Nationals 4: For the third straight game, the Marlins won after tying the game in the ninth inning. After consecutive extra-inning wins, they won in the ninth inning Sunday on Cody Ross’ three-run double after 3B Emilio Bonifacio walked to open the inning and scored on C John Baker’s double. RHP Chris Volstad allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings, but five relievers combined to allow just one run the rest of the game.
Notes, Quotes
• The Marlins’ hot start comes as three key players have been struggling over the first six games of the road trip. SS Hanley Ramirez is 5-for-30 (.167), 3B Emilio Bonifacio is 3-for-25 (.120) and rookie CF Cameron Maybin is 2-for-13 (.154). Maybin was held out of the starting lineup Sunday.
• A big reason for Florida’s hot start has been the bullpen, which put together a franchise-record scoreless streak. The stretch ended after 24 innings when RHP Leo Nunez allowed a run in the eighth inning Sunday. The previous record shutout streak for the bullpen was 23 2/3 scoreless innings April 7-18, 2004.
By The Numbers: 24—Consecutive scoreless innings, a franchise record for the Marlins bullpen that ended Sunday when RHP Leo Nunez allowed a run in the eighth inning.
Quote To Note: “It’s been a blast. We’re having a good time with it.”—LF Jeremy Hermida, on the team’s sizzling start.
Roster Report
The Marlins are off to a hot start because they are getting contributions from virtually everyone on the team. On April 18, they used 18 players, including every position player, to defeat the Nationals 9-6. “Empty the bench is my philosophy,” said manager Fredi Gonzalez. “I try to match up and put guys in the best situations. You hate to go back to the hotel or back to the house and say I didn’t use my best pinch hitters in the right situations.”
Player News:
• LF Jeremy Hermida has played a big role in the seven-game winning streak the Marlins take into Monday’s game. Hermida’s nine-game hitting streak ended Sunday when he was 0-for-2.
After driving in the game-winning run with an infield single Friday night, he hit two dramatic home runs Saturday: a two-run home run that tied the game with two outs in the ninth, then a three-run home run in the 11th.
What kind of reception did he get from Nationals fans when he went back out to left field?
“They were ragging on me after the first one,” he said, “but after the second one, most of the people were actually giving me some congratulations. It was nice; I wasn’t actually expecting that.”
• 3B Emilio Bonifacio has dramatically tailed off from his hot start. He’s having a tough time reacting to adjustments teams have made on him, going 3-for-25 over the first six games of Florida’s road trip. He’s hitless with nine strikeouts in his last 19 at-bats going into Monday. His batting average has plummeted from .485 on April 14 to .321 going into Monday.
• RF Cody Ross has emerged from his early-season funk. He’s 9-for-21 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in the first six games of the team’s road trip.
Medical Watch:
RHP Scott Proctor (sore right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27. He won’t return before mid-May.
RHP Rick VandenHurk (inflamed right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 28.