Pirates finally get a victory

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

James McDonald pitched seven sharp innings, and Garrett Jones and Pedro Alvarez each drove in three runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped a seven-game skid with a 7-1 win over the Florida Marlins on Monday night.

Making his third start with the Pirates since being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deadline day trade, McDonald (2-2) pitched more than six innings for the first time in his career. He gave up a run and three hits, striking out six and walking two in improving to 2-1 with Pittsburgh.

Andrew McCutchen hit his 10th home run and stole his 25th base for Pittsburgh, which returned from a winless six-game road trip for the third time this season.

Dan Uggla went 3 for 4 with an RBI for the Marlins, who fell three games under .500 and nine games behind in the National League wild-card race.

The Pirates got two runs in the first against Florida starter Chris Volstad — on Jones’ sacrifice fly and Alvarez’s single that scored Jose Tabata and Neil Walker. Volstad, a right-hander, then faced the minimum over the next four innings, retiring 10 of 11 batters at one point.

Volstad (6-9) was lifted for Taylor Tankersley in the sixth after he loaded the bases with no outs. Tankersley promptly gave up a two-run double to Jones, scoring McCutchen and Tabata.

Alvarez then followed with a single into the right-field corner, driving in Walker and Jones to make it 6-1.

Volstad gave up five runs on five hits and two walks in five-plus innings. He lost for the first time in five starts since being optioned to Triple-A for three starts last month.

McCutchen homered for only the second time in the past month, to center field leading off the seventh.