MIAMI – Matt Lawton and Chris Duffy had four hits apiece, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates come from behind twice to beat the Florida Marlins 6-3 on Tuesday night.

Josh Fogg (5-6) lasted just 5 1-3 innings but won for the first time in 10 starts since his most recent victory on June 1, also against Florida. He gave up three runs and nine hits but singled home the Pirates’ first run for his first RBI of the season.

Daryle Ward drove in three runs for the Pirates, who overcame deficits of 1-0 and 3-2 to win for the fourth time in five games. They are 13-4 against Florida since the start of 2003, with wins in eight of the past nine meetings.

Lawton and Duffy, batting 1-2, sparked Pittsburgh’s 15-hit attack. Lawton went 4-for-4 with a walk. He singled home a run in the second, and doubled and scored in the sixth. Duffy went 4-for-5, scored twice, drove in a run and stole his first two bases of the season.

Ward fouled off four consecutive 2-2 pitches and hit a two-run double on the 10th pitch to put Pittsburgh ahead to stay and knock out Brian Moehler in the fifth. Ward also singled home a run in the sixth.

Moehler (6-7), who had won his four previous starts in July, gave up nine hits in 4 1-3 innings and left trailing 4-3.

Jose Mesa pitched the ninth for his 25th save in 28 chances.

The Marlins had hit 12 homers and scored 40 runs in their previous five games. But 12 hits off four Pittsburgh pitchers were all singles, and Florida grounded into four inning-ending double plays.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, scored four runs with two outs.

An intentional walk hurt Florida in the second, when the Pirates scored twice. Jose Castillo singled and advanced on a groundout, and Jack Wilson was intentionally walked. Fogg foiled the strategy with an RBI single, and Lawton also singled home a run.

Lawton singled to start the fifth and took third on a single by Duffy, then tried to score on a grounder to second and was an easy out. Ward followed with his two-run double.

Lawton sparked the offense again in the sixth when he led off with a double, then came home on Duffy’s single. Duffy stole second and scored on Ward’s single.

Florida scored in the first when Juan Pierre led off with a single, stole second, took third on a sacrifice and came home on Carlos Delgado’s single.

The Marlins scored twice in the third when an intentional walk backfired on the Pirates. Delgado and Miguel Cabrera singled and advanced on a sacrifice. After Juan Encarnacion was intentionally walked, Mike Lowell also walked.

Cabrera sprinted home on Damion Easley’s fly to short right, barely beating Lawton’s one-hop throw.

Notes: Lawton’s four-hit game was his third this season and the 15th of his career. … Pierre went 3-for-3 versus Fogg, hiking his average to .524 (11-for-21) against the right-hander. … Florida RHP Antonio Alfonseca, activated before the game after missing three months with an elbow injury, came on to escape a bases loaded, no-out jam in the eighth.

AP-ES-07-26-05 2230EDT


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