MIAMI (AP) – The Miami Marlins took a look at a collage of Ichiro Suzuki’s career and began to swing the bat better.
Suzuki was given a Plexiglas mosaic of photographs showing each of his first 3,000 hits during a pregame ceremony Sunday, and the Marlins promptly shook an offensive slump to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-3. Justin Bour drove in six runs with four hits, both career highs, and Miami rallied from a three-run deficit to end a four-game losing streak.
Suzuki made a small contribution with a pinch-hit walk, and his teammates drew inspiration from the tribute to him before the game.
“That’s someone you feed off,” Bour said. “You can never say enough about the guy.”
Bour, mired in a slump for much of the season’s first month, improved his batting average from .184 to .222. He had an RBI double in the second, an RBI single in the fourth, a two-run single in the fifth and a two-run homer in Miami’s six-run seventh.
“There’s that patch where you feel like, maybe I won’t get a hit for the rest of the season,” Bour said. “You’ve got to continue to stay positive.”
Bour helped the Marlins avert a series sweep and break out of a slump after being outscored 26-8 during the previous four games. They totaled a season-high 15 hits, including three each by Dee Gordon and Marcell Ozuna.
Josh Bell hit a two-run homer for the Pirates, but they were shut out over the final 8 2/3 innings.
Bour hit a two-out, two-run single off Trevor Williams (1-1) in the fifth to put the Marlins ahead to stay, 4-3.
Pittsburgh starter Chad Kuhl was charged with three runs, two earned, in four-plus innings and left the game with a bruised right knee after being hit by a comebacker.
Bour became the first Marlins player with at least six RBIs and four hits in a game since 2010. He now has four homers and 15 RBIs this year.
Miami’s first baseman finished 4 for 5 when he flied out in the eighth needing a triple for the first cycle in Marlins history.
“I’m not sure how many people had me for a triple right there,” said Bour, who has one career three-bagger.
Tom Koehler allowed three of the first four batters to score and exited trailing 3-0 after four innings. His ERA rose to 5.40.
Five Marlins relievers combined for five scoreless innings. Dustin McGowan (1-0) pitched the fifth.
PAINFUL COMEBACKER
Kuhl was hurt when hit by Gordon’s sharp one-hopper. The right-hander collapsed in pain as Gordon reached on a single. Kuhl eventually got up and threw several warmup pitches, but then walked to the dugout.
“It was pretty intense pain,” Kuhl said. “I wanted to stay back out there, but I got taken out.”
Kuhl said he plans to make his next start as scheduled.
ROSTER MOVE
Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli sat out with a sore right foot and will be re-evaluated Monday. As insurance, before the game the Pirates selected the contract of catcher John Bormann from Class A Bradenton, and OF Danny Ortiz was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Bormann, who was preparing for a game in Port Charlotte when he learned of the promotion at 9 a.m. Sunday, made his major league debut when he struck out as a pinch hitter in the ninth.
“This is once in a lifetime, something I will never forget,” he said.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Gerrit Cole (1-3, 3.60 ERA) is scheduled to make his 100th career start Monday when Pittsburgh begins a four-game series in Cincinnati. Cole is 0-6 in eight career starts against the Reds.
