Pirates continue set with Marlins

Baseball Betting Lines

08/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins have lost four consecutive games, and an ineffective offense has been a big reason for the team's current woes. They'll try once again to break out of that funk in tonight's clash with a Pittsburgh Pirates squad that will be seeking to record back-to-back wins for the first time in three weeks.

After going a woeful 0-for-27 with runners in scoring position while being swept in a three-game set at Cincinnati over the weekend, the Marlins failed to come through in the clutch as well in a 7-1 defeat to the Pirates in Monday's opener of this four-game series. Florida was 0-for-6 with men in scoring position during last night's contest and managed just five hits for the game.

The Pirates, on the other hand, received three RBI each from Garrett Jones and Pedro Alvarez and seven strong innings from James McDonald in ending a seven- game losing skid. Andrew McCutchen added a pair of hits, including a solo homer, and scored twice in the win.

Pittsburgh had just returned from a winless six-game road trip in which the club had mustered only 11 runs.

"There's certain factors that come into play on the road that -- just certain intangibles that you don't even realize," said Alvarez after Monday's win. "Just being at home is just more comfortable, more at ease. You have the fans behind you. That helps, believe it or not."

McDonald (2-2) certainly helped as well, as the recent acquisition held Florida's sputtering offense to a run and three hits while striking out six batters in an impressive display.

Marlins starter Chris Volstad (6-9) allowed just two runs over the first five innings, but was charged with three runs while failing to record an out in the sixth. The right-hander exited after loading the bases on a single, walk and a hit batsman, and Jones greeted reliever Taylor Tankersley with a two-run double to give the Pirates a 4-1 advantage.

"The walk and then the hit by pitch was the big thing," Volstad said. "McCutchen is going to get his hits...you can't walk the next guy after that. I just dug myself a hole."

While the Marlins try to get back on track offensively, the team should be able to count on a reliable performance from scheduled starter Ricky Nolasco tonight. The right-hander is 8-2 with a 3.76 earned run average over his past 10 outings and has been terrific on the road this year, having amassed an excellent 9-2 record and a 3.59 ERA in 13 games in visiting parks.

Nolasco bounced back strongly from an August 6 start against St. Louis in which he was rocked for seven runs and 10 hits over five innings with a sharp six-inning stint at Washington this past Thursday. He limited the Nationals to six hits and no runs while striking out eight to garner his team-leading 13th victory of 2010.

The 27-year-old was hit hard in a matchup at PNC Park last season, however, surrendering six runs (five earned) in six innings of a loss to the Pirates, and is just 2-3 in seven lifetime appearances (five starts) against Pittsburgh despite a solid 2.45 ERA over that stretch.

The Pirates, who last registered consecutive wins from July 27-28, will turn to the struggling Zach Duke tonight in hopes of building off Monday's verdict. The 2009 All-Star hasn't produced many positive results as of late, though, as he's 2-8 with a 5.95 ERA in a 10-start span beginning in late May.

Duke has had an especially rough August so far, having gone 0-2 with a 5.82 ERA through three starts this month. He did put forth a respectable showing last Thursday at San Diego, allowing three runs -- two earned -- in six innings, but didn't get any help from the Pittsburgh offense in a 3-0 loss.

The 27-year-old has also had trouble when facing the Marlins in the past. In five previous encounters with Florida, Duke is 0-3 with a 5.76 ERA.

The Marlins halted a string of four straight losses at PNC with Monday's win, the first meeting between the teams this season. Pittsburgh won four of six overall bouts with Florida during the 2009 campaign.