• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Pirates-Marlins Preview

Jul 5, 2009 - 5:05 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Pittsburgh (37-43) at Florida (41-40), 1:10 p.m. EDT

Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez was not very productive in his first four games against the Pittsburgh Pirates this season.

Saturday's effort, though, was more consistent with how he's handled Pittsburgh pitching during his career.

Ramirez and the Marlins try to win their fourth consecutive series at Land Shark Stadium on Sunday afternoon when they take on the struggling Pirates.

After going 4 for 14 with no home runs and one RBI as Florida (42-40) lost its first four matchups with the Pirates in 2009, Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the first inning of Saturday's 5-3 victory.

"Finally, we beat Pittsburgh," Ramirez told the Marlins' official Web site after hitting his sixth homer in the last 12 games. "We got swept in their place (April 20-22). They came in and got us the first game. We just went out and tried to win the game, and we did."

Ramirez went 0 for 4 and had his 10-game RBI streak snapped in Friday's 7-4 series-opening loss, but he has driven in 26 runs over his last 12 games.

He is batting .385 (37 for 96) with five homers and 13 RBIs in 24 career games against Pittsburgh.

Although the Pirates snapped the Marlins' eight-game winning streak at Land Shark Stadium on Friday, Florida has won seven of its last nine home series against Pittsburgh.

Florida right-hander Ricky Nolasco (5-6, 5.99 ERA) tries to win his fourth consecutive start Sunday. Since losing three straight outings from May 13-June 7, which overlapped a stint at Triple-A New Orleans, Nolasco is 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA in his last four starts.

In Monday's 4-2 victory over Washington, he struck out eight, walked none and yielded two runs and four hits over eight innings.

"It just feels good to have that feeling," Nolasco said after retiring the last 13 he faced. "I'm just trying to be consistent. That's the main goal."

Nolasco, however, has lost his last three starts against Pittsburgh with a 5.29 ERA. In his most recent start versus the Pirates, he allowed six runs and eight hits over six innings of a 7-4 defeat at PNC Park on April 22.

Pittsburgh (37-44), loser of five of seven, will counter with Ross Ohlendorf (7-6, 4.41). The right-hander went seven innings in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs, giving up four hits and striking out a career-high eight.

"I was telling everybody, I would not want to be facing Ross right now," Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen said. "He really had his stuff working."

It was the first time Ohlendorf yielded no runs since an 8-0 win over Florida on April 20, when he allowed two hits in seven innings. That was the first career appearance against the Marlins for Ohlendorf, who has given up two runs or fewer in three of his last four starts.

Third baseman Andy LaRoche hit his first homer in 15 games Saturday. He is batting .462 (6 for 13) in five career games at Florida.

Pirates outfielder Delwyn Young went 2 for 4 with an RBI single Saturday, and is 3 for 5 in the series after going 2 for 21 with seven strikeouts in his previous 12 games.

After his nine-game hitting streak was snapped Friday, Marlins second baseman Emilio Bonifacio went 3 for 4 with a triple Saturday.

Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez could return to the lineup Sunday after missing the first two games of the series with back spasms.