Pirates throttled by Fernandez in 3-1 loss

Jose Fernandez was too much for the Pirates and Gerrit Cole, as they dropped the second game of their series in Miami, 3-1.  Fernandez faced just one batter over the minimum in his seven innings.  The Pirates managed only three baserunners against him, all on singles, and wiped out two of them with a caught stealing and a double play.  They got just one runner past first.  Fernandez struck out six.

Meanwhile, as in his last two starts, Cole wasn't dominant.  He managed, though, to work his way effectively through six scoreless innings.  He had runners on first and second with one out in the first, but got a ground out and a fly out.  The Marlins put runners on second and third with no out in the third, but Cole got a strikeout, an out at the plate on a good play by Jung-Ho Kang, and another strikeout.  In the sixth, he got out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation with a soft liner and a fly out.

Cole couldn't, however, get through the seventh.  Three one-out singles brought in a run and the throw left runners at second and third.  Cole then walked Marcell Ozuna and ball four went to the backstop.  Francisco Cervelli made a good play, quickly getting the ball to Cole at the plate, but the runner was called safe.  The Pirates challenged the call, but it was correctly upheld.  That brought on Jared Hughes, who got a hard grounder to Kang, but the Pirates weren't able to turn two when Josh Harrison double-clutched on the pivot.  That let in a third run.

The Marlins mercifully removed Fernandez after just 88 pitches.  The Pirates got nowhere against David Phelps in the eighth, but finally showed signs of life in the ninth against Marlins' closer A.J. Ramos.  Walks to Matt Joyce and Andrew McCutchen, sandwiched around a single by John Jaso, loaded the bases with one out.  A Gregory Polanco fly ball ended the shutout, but Kang took a third strike and Starling Marte flied out to right, ending the game.