Bell, Nova lead Bucs to fifth-straight win

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Josh Bell has homered in consecutive games following three days off. He doesn’t think it’s a coincidence.

“I was able to kind of reflect a little bit,” Bell said. “Take a step back, watch some baseball, get some work done in the cages and get back to the basics.”

The switch-hitting first baseman combined with Ivan Nova, who got his first victory in a month, to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 5-1 Saturday for their fifth consecutive win.

In a game played in a steady drizzle, Bell connected off Brett Graves leading off the sixth for his 10th home run, down from 26 last year when he finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. Before his home run Friday, Bell had not driven in a run since Aug. 11.

Manager Clint Hurdle did not play Bell on Tuesday or Wednesday against Cincinnati, and the Pirates were off Thursday.

“Just like everybody else, we’ve had a sit down and talked about finishing strong, putting some staples on this season and building some momentum toward next year,” Hurdle said.

Nova (8-9) gave up three hits in six innings, struck out nine and walked three. He had lost three straight starts since beating San Francisco on Aug. 9 and had missed his previous turn for an undisclosed reason.

“I was doing my workouts while I was away,” Nova said. “I’m a professional athlete and I was taking care of my business to make sure I was still ready to pitch.”

Nova improved his career record against the Marlins to 4-0.