It's safe to say: Jason Marquis had the Pirates' number Saturday night. San Diego's starting pitcher surrendered just two hits and no runs over nine innings, leading the Padres to a relatively easy 5-0 win over Pittsburgh at PNC Park. Marquis. who improved to 6-6 on the season, actually took a no-hitter bid into the seventh inning before Travis Snider broke it up with an infield single.
The Pirates, who dropped their third consecutive game, collected another hit in the bottom of the eighth inning when Pedro Alvarez singled to right center field.
Following the loss, Pittsburgh is now stuck 4.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds in the N.L. Central, though they are tied atop the wild-card standings.
The series finale is scheduled for Sunday at 1:35 p.m. EST.
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