Pirates Flip By Marlins

Starter Jason Schmidt didn't finish the seventh inning on Monday night. Still, teammate John Vander Wal considered it a complete game for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"We had good pitching, good hitting from a lot of different guys and good defense," he said after a 10-4 win over Florida. "We've gotten all three at various times lately but it's been a long time since we had them all going in the same game."

Vander Wal and Kevin Young each drove in three runs for slumping Pittsburgh. The Pirates had lost nine of 12 games and just returned from a 1-5 trip to Arizona and Colorado.

Monday was the beginning of a nine-game homestand. After Florida, the Pirates play interleague series against Kansas City and Detroit.

Schmidt (2-4) pitched 6 2-3 innings, allowing 10 hits and four runs. He left after allowing an RBI double by Mark Kotsay and Preston Wilson's run-scoring single.

"Jason didn't have his best stuff but he battled," Pirates manager Gene Lamont said. "We needed some innings because we've used our bullpen a lot in the last two games and he gave us innings."

The Pirates scored four runs in the first against Vladimir Nunez (0-5) and aded four more in the sixth against Dan Miceli.

Miceli could be headed for the disabled list. Marlins manager John Boles met with him behind closed doors after the game and they seemed to be in agreement that Miceli shouldn't continue to pitch through pain in his forearm.

Boles said he would consult with the Marlins trainer and pitching coach Rich Dubee before calling general manager Dave Dombrowski.

"He is such a competitor that he wants to go out and take the ball when, in my opinion, he should not," Boles said.

Young's three-run double came in the sixth and Vander Wal followed with a single for his third RBI.

"Kevin's hit was the big one," Lamont said. "That really broke it open."

Vander Wal singled with the bases loaded in the first inning and scored on Pat Meares' double as the Pirates sent nine hitters to the plate. Nunez walked leadoff hitter Warren Morris and gave up singles to Wil Cordero and Brian Giles to load the bases.

"You get down four runs and it kind of takes the starch out of you," Boles said. "We can't play like that. We're not that kind of team. We have to keep games close."

Nunez gave up single runs in the fourth and fifth. Jason Kendall hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth and Meares had an RBI single in the fifth.

Paul Bako had the last of three Marlins singles in the fourth. Schmidt gave up a leadoff double to Kotsay in the fifth and Cliff Floyd singled. Schmidt pitched out of the jam by getting Wilson to ground into a double play.

Notes