Pittsburgh @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( May 30, 2016 ) Pittsburgh 10, Miami 0

The Pittsburgh Pirates found their offense just in time to go up against one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. The Pirates will try to keep the hits coming on Tuesday when they face Jose Fernandez and the host Miami Marlins in the second of a four-game series.

Pittsburgh totaled four runs in a pair of losses at Texas on Saturday and Sunday but Gregory Polanco belted a grand slam and David Freese added four hits to back a shutout from Jeff Locke in Monday’s 10-0 series-opening triumph. Polanco’s slam marked his fourth home run in 10 games and gave him 15 RBIs in that span. The Marlins were blanked for the second time this season and managed three hits off Locke to fall for the third time in the last four games and eighth time in the last 13 contests. Miami center fielder Marcell Ozuna went 0-for-3 in Monday’s game to snap an 11-game hitting streak and mark just the second time in May that he has gone without a hit.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Florida (Miami)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (5-3, 2.53 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Jose Fernandez (7-2, 2.82)

Cole was held out of the decision against Arizona on Thursday despite belting a three-run homer and not allowing an earned run in five innings. The former No. 1 overall pick surrendered a total of one earned run in his last three turns but did not notch a strikeout against Colorado on May 20 and needed 106 pitches to get through five frames against the Diamondbacks. Cole is 2-1 with a 3.42 ERA in four career starts against Miami.

Fernandez earned the win in six straight starts while yielding a total of eight runs in that span. The Cuba native has been at his best in the last four outings with 43 strikeouts in 27 combined innings and three runs allowed. Fernandez, who owns 90 strikeouts in 60 2/3 total innings this season, is 1-0 in two career starts against Pittsburgh with 18 k’s in 13 frames.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pirates 2B Josh Harrison (illness) returned from a two-game absence and went 2-for-5 with two runs scored on Monday.

2. Miami RF Giancarlo Stanton (side) sat out his sixth straight game on Monday and is day-to-day.

3. Pittsburgh LF Starling Marte recorded multiple hits in four of the last seven contests.

PREDICTION: Marlins 3, Pirates 2