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Marlins score early, extend the Pirates’ scoreless streak
AP
Photo
Florida Marlins' Emilio Bonifacio, right, slides in safe at home as the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Chris Snyder is unable to tag him out after during the second inning of a baseball game at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Wednesday, April 20, 2011.
Marlins 6
Pirates 0
Next: Pittsburgh at Florida, today, 7:10 p.m.
Associated Press
MIAMI
Charlie Morton nearly escaped. A slow-roller in the infield almost got him and the Pittsburgh Pirates out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning to keep the game scoreless.
The key word? Almost.
Morton gave up a two-run infield single to Florida’s Chris Coghlan as part of a four-run second inning, got touched for two more in the third and the Pirates wound up falling to the Marlins 6-0 on Wednesday night.
The Pirates lost the series opener by the same 6-0 score. They struck out 12 times on Tuesday, 10 more on Wednesday.
“We haven’t scored a run in 18 innings and they’ve gotten on top of us early in both games,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “Twenty-two punchouts in 18 innings means they’re playing pitch and catch.”
Morton (2-1) was charged with six runs on 10 hits — nine singles, the other a double that didn’t figure into the scoring — in five innings, his ERA more than doubling from 1.64 to 3.33. He was 2-12 last season with a 7.57 ERA, then had a strong spring and kept that going through his first three starts of the regular season.
His first rough night of 2011 came against the Marlins, who have now won five of their last six.
“They were just hitting my slider,” Morton said. “It wasn’t sinking.”
Bonifacio had two hits and scored from second on Coghlan’s slow roller to highlight a four-run Florida second. Ricky Nolasco (2-0) gave up four hits, walked one and threw 66 of his 96 pitches for strikes for the Marlins, who have won five of their last six.
Matt Diaz had two of Pittsburgh’s five hits, including a double. The Pirates are 3-7 since April 9.
Morton had allowed five runs — four earned — in his first three starts, never giving up more than one in any inning.