 struck out one and did not walk a batter while throwing 67 of 105 pitches for strikes. It was the first complete game by a Pirate since Vance Worley on July 28, 2014.'' Fantastic to go through that lineup as efficiently as he did with no walks and one strikeout getting them to swing, the mis-hits, and we threw some leather out there behind him, which was fantastic as well,'' Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. ''I'm just proud of him. He continues to work hard and this is the culmination of some hard work.'' It was his first complete game in 101 career starts.'' It wasn't like anything I had been a part of,'' Locke said. ''It was pretty special. One hundred and one starts into this thing and I finally get to go a complete game. Very special.'' Locke retired 19 straight at one point and needed just six pitches to get through the seventh inning.'' Obviously, he throttled us pretty good,'' Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. ''He's a guy not real complicated, but he doesn't play around in the middle (of the plate) too often. He's on edges. It seemed kind of he had us where he wanted to tonight.'' Gregory Polanco's grand slam, Sean Rodriguez's two-run homer, and David Freese's four hits helped power the offense for the Pirates, who won the first of a four-game series in Miami. The first two games were originally scheduled to be played in Puerto Rico, but were moved due to concerns of the Zika virus. The announced crowd of 10,856 was a season-low for the Marlins, who entered the day averaging just under 20,000. Marlins starter Justin Nicolino (2-3) allowed three runs and six hits in five innings. Nicolino left in the sixth after giving up a leadoff single to Andrew McCutchen with the Marlins trailing 2-0. Jose Urena relieved Nicolino and eventually loaded the bases for Polanco, who deposited a 2-1 change-up into the seats in right-center field for a 7-0 lead.'' I was looking for a fastball, but he left the change-up in the middle and I put a good swing on it,'' Polanco said. It was Polanco's first career grand slam and his eighth home run of the season. He has hit in eight straight games with three home runs and 12 RBIs during the stretch. Jung Ho Kang and Freese had RBI singles to start the scoring for the Pirates. Two of the Marlins' three hits were erased by double plays. LOCKE RECEIVES GAME BALLLocke received the game ball from the final out and plans to send it home to his parents.'' They'll put it with the Little League balls and all of the other ones,'' Locke said. ''There's not a ton from the big leagues up there. My first pitch is up there, but it's got a scuff mark on it from the dirt it hit in front of the plate. It'll go up there somewhere special, that's for sure.'' OZUNA'S STREAKS SNAPPEDMarlins' CF Marcell Ozuna had his 11-game hitting streak and 36-game on-base streak snapped with an 0-for-3 night.'' Thank God I died like a hero because I died battling,'' Ozuna said. ''The streak consisted of good at-bats. I was looking for the hole but the ball didn't find it. Hopefully we can start another one.'' TRAINER'S ROOMMarlins: RF Giancarlo Stanton (right side soreness) missed his sixth consecutive game, but could return Tuesday. ... 2B Derek Dietrich entered the game in the fourth inning after being struck in the head by a foul ball while in the dugout during Sunday's game. Dietrich replaced Miguel Rojas who appeared to hurt himself during his at-bat in the third. ''He got a little stinger on that swing,'' Mattingly said. ''They're calling it shoulder irritation right now, minor. They think he's going to be OK. Obviously, we'll know more if something happened overnight.'' UP NEXTPirates will send RHP Gerrit Cole (5-3, 2.53 ERA) to the mound Tuesday. Cole is 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA in his last four starts. Marlins will counter with RHP Jose Fernandez (7-2, 2.82). Fernandez is 21-1 with a 1.64 ERA in 31 career starts at Marlins Park.
)
Time: 07:10 P.M. EST Venue: Marlins Park
Aside from one subpar outing, Jeff Locke has put together a stretch manager Clint Hurdle feels might be his best since joining Pittsburgh. The left-hander might not have to deal with Giancarlo Stanton on Monday night, but he'll try to contain hot-hitting Marcell Ozuna as the Pirates open a four-game road series against the Miami Marlins. While he allowed six runs over 5 1/3 innings in an 8-2 road loss to the Chicago Cubs on May 14, Locke (3-3, 5.08 ERA) has gone 3-0 with a 3.34 ERA in his other six starts during this solid stretch. Now the 30-year-old will try to win three consecutive starts for the first time in his six-year career with Pittsburgh (28-21) after giving up four runs over 6 1/3 innings in Wednesday's 5-4 victory over Arizona." Maybe I'm preparing myself a little bit better for these starts than I have in the past," he told MLB's official website. "I'm making sure I do my homework before the outing, three or four days before the start, and then you know what you want to do against these guys." Given his success in this series, Locke might be able to help the Pirates avoid their first three-game losing streak since dropping four straight from May 1-4. He's 3-0 with a 2.28 ERA in his four starts versus Miami - all Pittsburgh wins - since the start of 2014. Stanton has gone 7 for 14 with two home runs lifetime when facing Locke, but he's missed the past five games due to soreness in his side. The star slugger took batting practice before Sunday's 7-3 win at Atlanta and is expected to return at some point during this series. Chris Johnson is 7 for 15 with two homers and Ozuna has gone 4 for 11 in the matchup. Ozuna went 2 for 4 with his 10th long ball Sunday, leaving him with a .488 average over an 11-game hitting streak. The center fielder also has reached safely in 36 straight games. Derek Dietrich went 3 for 3 with a home run, double and four RBIs for Miami (26-24), which seeks its second back-to-back wins since May 16. He's gone 12 for 23 over a six-game hitting streak, but won't play in this one after getting hit on the head by a foul ball in his own dugout.'' Hopefully it's just a headache," pitcher Tom Koehler said. Justin Nicolino (2-2, 4.37) hopes to build on Wednesday's effort in which he snapped a two-game losing streak. He allowed three runs and struck out a season-high six over 5 2/3 innings in a 4-3 win at Tampa Bay. In his only start versus Pittsburgh, the left-hander gave up two runs despite walking four over six innings in a 2-1 loss Aug. 27. Andrew McCutchen singled and walked twice when facing him in that contest. Since averaging 8 runs over a five-game winning streak, the Pirates have totaled four in consecutive losses. Starling Marte and Francisco Cervelli had four of the team's eight hits in Sunday's 6-2 loss at Texas. McCutchen has hit .426 over his last 19 games against the Marlins, while Gregory Polanco is batting .419 with 10 RBIs in his 11 meetings. Pittsburgh has outscored Miami 44-20 while winning eight of the last nine matchups and has won the season series the last four years.
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Miami Marlins
Pick Center
MLB
FINAL (5/30/2016)
LightningPlays
