PITTSBURGH _ The Marlins matched the weather on Saturday at PNC Park.
As in dreary.
The Marlins scored their only run in a 5-1 loss on a wild pitch as the Pirates locked up the series with their second straight win.
Only one Marlins base runner managed to reach second before the eighth inning, and they avoided their 12th shutout loss only because Miguel Rojas scored from third on a wild pitch thrown by Nick Kingham. The Marlins managed only five hits all game as Pirates starter Ivan Nova held them in check over six scoreless innings in which he struck out nine.
"He's handcuffed us pretty much every time we've seen him over the past few years," said manager Don Mattingly.
Nova is now 4-0 with an 0.98 ERA in four career starts against the Marlins. The Marlins have failed to score on Nova in any of his past three starts against them.
Marlins starter Wei-Yin Chen went four innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He also walked a pair as his road record fell to 1-7.
"He kind of had to battle every inning and just didn't seem to have that same command," Mattingly said. "When they showed the replays, it looked like he missed his spots and ended up paying for a couple of those."
Chen struck out three in the first inning but gave up a run in the second, two more in the fourth, and coming out for a pinch-hitter in the fifth.
Chen said the wet conditions were a factor but not an excuse.
"As a player, that's something you have to overcome," Chen said of the light rain that fell throughout much of Saturday's game. "As a player you have to be able to pitch in the rain."
