PITTSBURGH _ Edinson Volquez is no Johnny Vander Meer, but Thursday night he offered an awfully strong imitation.
The Miami right-hander shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates for seven innings in the Marlins' 7-1 win, his first start after throwing a no-hitter last weekend and his third start in a sudden series of very good ones.
There was no no-no tension this time around, though, as Pittsburgh's Josh Harrison bunted for a single with one out in the first inning. That was the Pirates' only knock until the sixth.
In allowing three hits, Volquez failed in the nearly impossible task of matching Vander Meer, who tossed no-hitters in consecutive starts for the Cincinnati Reds on June 11 and June 15, 1938. (The part few mention when recalling his feat: Vander Meer also walked 11 batters in those games, including eight in the encore.)
Volquez threw 77 of his 111 pitches for strikes and struck out eight batters. In his past three games, he has allowed one run and fanned 22 in 22 innings, lowering his ERA from 4.82 to 3.41 _ the best of any Marlins starter. He has also lasted at least six innings in each of his past half-dozen outings.
The key for Volquez lately, manager Don Mattingly said Thursday afternoon, was more command.
"His last few, it seems like that's gotten better and better," Mattingly said. "More strikes. Pound the strike zone, make them swing the bat."
When Volquez found trouble Thursday, he worked around it.
The Pirates loaded the bases in the first, but Andrew McCutchen struck out looking to end the inning. Harrison's double in the sixth snapped a run of 12 consecutive batters retired by Volquez, who set down the next three to strand Harrison at third.
The Marlins lineup offered Volquez plenty of support, including multi-hit nights from Christian Yelich, J.T. Realmuto, Derek Dietrich (three RBI, two runs scored) and Tyler Moore (two RBI).
In the first, Yelich's double to right scored one and Dietrich's double off the right-field wall scored two. Moore doubled in the fourth to plate Dietrich. Five of the Marlins' first six hits were doubles.
Miami piled on righty Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh's ace, in the fifth with five straight two-out singles _ the final four of which were line drives to left _ to score three more runs.
That brought out the PNC Park boo birds from a sparse crowd of 21,744.
The largest cheers of the night came when whenever the Pittsburgh Penguins, playing the Nashville Predators in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final about a mile from the ballpark, scored a goal. The giveaway to those watching baseball and not on their phones: The top of the Gulf Tower, part of the Pittsburgh skyline beyond the outfield walls, turned red _ like a goal horn _ when the Penguins lit the lamp.
