Sunday, September 08, 2002
Pirates 4, Marlins 1
By ALAN ROBINSON
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH — Back in April, this is how the Pittsburgh Pirates envisioned the whole season going — Aramis Ramirez and Brian Giles getting big hits and Josh Fogg setting up the bullpen with strong pitching.
Fogg pitched six scoreless innings, Giles and Ramirez homered and Mike Williams got his 40th save as the Pirates beat the Florida Marlins 4-1 Saturday night.
Ramirez, waiting until the final month of the season to begin hitting the way he did last season, was 3-for-4 with two RBIs against Nate Robertson (0-1) in the left-hander's major league debut.
The Pirates won their 63rd game, one more than they did a year ago while going 62-100. They still have 20 games remaining.
“You've got to start somewhere, and we want to finish strong and take something positive into the offseason,” Williams said.
Fogg (12-11), a winner only twice in his 11 most recent starts, was in command from the beginning, limiting the Marlins to five hits while not allowing a runner past second base.
“He's like the poor man's (Greg) Maddux,” the Marlins' Kevin Millar said. “He throws four pitches for strikes and he competes. That was a great trade the Pirates made, getting Kip Wells and that guy. That guy is going to win a lot of games.”
Fogg, ending a four-game losing streak that dated to an Aug. 6 victory over Los Angeles, has the most victories by a Pirates rookie since Mike Dunne went 13-6 in 1987.
The right-hander started 5-1 as the Pirates stayed around first place in the NL Central for a month, then faded after Ramirez's offense fell off significantly following a mid-April ankle injury.
“Yeah, I'd like to finish with a winning record — I was getting tried of losing,” Fogg said. “My job is to give my team a chance to win every time I pitch and I haven't been doing that.”
The Pirates, who beat the Marlins 11-0 Friday night, lost a chance for their second straight shutout when Mike Lowell hit his 19th homer in the seventh off Brian Boehringer.
Scott Sauerbeck followed Boehringer with a scoreless ninth, and Williams became the third closer in the majors with 40 saves by pitching the ninth. Williams has 40 saves in 43 opportunities and trails only the Braves' John Smoltz (49) and the Dodgers' Eric Gagne (48).
“I really didn't come into the season with a number,” Williams said. “Sure, it's rewarding, but I wish we were winning more games so I had some more opportunities.”
Robertson lasted 4 2-3 innings, giving up four runs and seven hits. He allowed the first five batters he faced to reach base, but got out of the first with only one run scoring on Ramirez's RBI single.
“I liked what I saw,” Marlins manager Jeff Torborg said. “He didn't panic in that inning, and that could have knocked a lot of veterans for a loop.”
Ramirez made it 2-0 in the third with his 14th homer, and Giles hit his 34th following Jack Wilson's one-out single in the fifth. Wilson had three hits a night after driving in a career-high four runs.
“That pitch to Ramirez was down and in and a lot of guys would have hit that ball on the ground,” Torborg said. “Ramirez hit it about 10 miles.”
Ramirez, bothered most of the season by the slow-to-heal ankle injury, is 19-for-45 (.422) with eight multi-hit games in his last 11 games. He has 61 RBIs, barely half the 112 he drove in during a breakthrough 34-homer season a year ago.
“He's starting to swing the bat better, and I don't think 75 RBIs is out of the question for him,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “He can carry us for a while.”
Notes: Robertson pitched with glasses for the first time in his pro career because his contacts were burning his eyes. ... Fogg had lost his last three decisions at PNC Park, not winning there since beating Milwaukee on July 3. ... The Pirates have won four straight at home and six of seven since losing seven in a row. ... Pirates pitchers have yielded four runs in their last 37 innings. ... Williams is the first Pirates reliever with 40 saves in a season. Before this season, the club record was 34 by Jim Gott in 1988. ... Florida is 7-22 on the road since the All-Star break. ... The Marlins have given up 14 homers in seven games this month. ... Millar had two hits, running his hitting streak to 13 games — 10 with multiple hits. ... Giles needs six homers to become the first Pirates player to hit 40 since Willie Stargell had 44 in 1973. ... The Pirates can sweep the three-game series Sunday, a week after they were swept in three at Florida.
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Pirates 4, Marlins 1
