Normally highly anticipated pitching match-ups do not live up to their billing, but for six innings, Gerrit Cole and Jose Fernandez battled zero for zero.
It was Cole who flinched first in a 3-1 Pittsburgh Pirates loss to the Miami Marlins Tuesday night.
After Cole (5-4) retired his mound opponent, Ichiro Suzuki recorded a single on a 1-1 offering. On the next pitch, Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto singled putting a runner in scoring position.
This brought Christian Yelich to the plate. Yelich was a tough out for Cole all game a,nd this was no different as the count drew to 3-2.
Yelich would single scoring Ichiro, putting the Marlins on the board first.
After a mound visit, Cole faced Marcel Ozuna. This did not turn out well for the pitcher, who unfurled a wild pitch that walked Ozuna and scored Realmuto.
The Pirates did challenge the play believing they got a tag in on Realmuto before he touched home plate, but the original call stood.
This scoring play forced Cole from the game, but the runs did not stop coming.
Jared Hughes was the new Pirates pitcher, and the goal was for him to get an inning-ending double play.
Justin Bour did hit a ground ball on the first pitch he saw, but beat the throw to first base putting the third and final Marlins run on the scoreboard.
Cole’s final line was 6.1 innings pitched and three runs allowed on 11 base runners (nine hits). He did throw 108 pitches and 71 strikes.
On the other side, Fernandez (8-2) had his way with the Pirates.
Fernandez surrendered three hits in seven innings and needed 88 pitches to do so.
Though his strikeout count was down at six, three of those required only three pitches.
Fernandez had his curveball working both hard and soft, which threw the Pirates hitters off balance.
The hook may have been a quick one for Fernandez but Marlins manager Don Mattingly had let his ace throw over 100 pitches for a few starts and likely chose to play it safe with a pitcher who at age 23 has already had Tommy John surgery.
Ninth-inning rally stalls
A.J. Ramos had a tough time finishing the Pirates off and as a result, Mattingly made a bullpen call with Kyle Barraclough quickly warming up.
The panic set in because Matt Joyce, John Jaso and Andrew McCutchen all in succession reached base to start the inning.
Ramos was getting behind in counts early and often, which resulted in 32 pitches when all was said and done.
After McCutchen’s walk, Ramos battled Gregory Polanco who came a few feet away from hitting a home run that would have placed the Pirates in the lead but instead kept them as the lone team in all of baseball yet to be shutout this season.
Jung Ho Kang came up next and after leading 2-0 in the count looked at the next three pitches and sat down after staring at strike three.
Starling Marte fared a bit better flying out to right field on a 2-2 pitch but that also ensured Ramos his 16th save of the season.
Up next
With the first two games of a four-game series split, Jonathon Niese (5-2, 4.42 ERA) will face off against Adam Conley (3-3, 4.15 ERA). Niese is 6-5 with a 4.18 ERA in 18 career starts against the Marlins.
Photo credit: @Marlins
