The Miami Marlins struggles continued on Friday night as they dropped the opener of their weekend series in Pittsburgh. Ricky Nolasco was solid on the mound but the offense could not break through against Kevin Correia and a stable of Pirates' relievers. A Neil Walker homer in the bottom of the fifth would prove to be the difference as Pittsburgh held on for a 4-3 win.
The Marlins offense got off to a hot start before going quiet against the Bucs' bullpen. Jose Reyes led off the game with a 400-foot homer to right. Emilio Bonifacio then single handedly manufactured a run against Correia by singling to left and then stealing both second and third. He came home on a Carlos Lee groundout to the to the right side which made it 2-0. The Fish would add a third run in the top of the fourth when Ricky Nolasco sacrificed back to the pitcher to score Omar Infante. That would be all for Miami's bats, however, as the Bucs chipped away with a couple solo homers off Nolasco to take the 4-3 win.
Carlos Zambrano will try to take the second game on Saturday. He'll be opposed by A.J. Burnett.
Stick with this StoryStream for scores, updates and more from the Marlins' series against the Cubs. For all things Marlins, check out Fish Stripes. If the Pirates are your team, Bucs Dugout has you covered.