Pirates' Agrazal gets first MLB start vs. Marlins

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Dario Agrazal will make his major league debut on Saturday when he faces the host Miami Marlins in the middle game of this weekend series.

The Pirates routed the Marlins 11-0 in Friday's opener, snapping a seven-game losing streak and tying a season high with 18 hits.

Agrazal, a 24-year-old native of Panama, was 5-3 with a 3.27 ERA this year in 12 minor league starts. In eight Triple-A starts, he went 4-2 with a 3.10 ERA. He held batters to a .216 batting average and had a stellar 0.97 WHIP. In eight of his past 10 starts, he allowed two runs or fewer while pitching at least six innings.

"I'm very excited to be here," Agrazal said after arriving in Miami on Friday. "I'm very grateful to God and to the Pirates for the opportunity."

Agrazal has been in the minors for seven years, compiling a 38-34 record with a 3.45 ERA.

"It has been challenging," Agrazal said of his slow march to the majors, "but those are things that ballplayers go through."

Agrazal is set to become Pittsburgh's 12th starting pitcher of the year -- compared to just seven for the Marlins. Three of Pittsburgh's original rotation members are on the injured list -- Trevor Williams, Jordan Lyles and Jameson Taillon.

A 6-foot-2, 240-pounder, Agrazal is hardly a five-star prospect. He was ranked 29th among Pirates prospects to start this season.

Agrazal will be opposed by Marlins right-hander Pablo Lopez (4-5, 4.26 ERA), who has yet to face the Pirates in his brief career.

In his past three starts, Lopez has a 1.00 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 18 innings. Lopez has also been strong at Marlins Park, sporting a 2-1 record and a 1.78 ERA in six starts. On the road, he is 2-4 with a 6.82 ERA.

The Marlins, who have the worst record in the National League, would love for Lopez to step up, especially since Opening Day starter Jose Urena has been placed on the 60-day injured list.

"That was not the news we wanted to hear," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said on Friday.

Offensively, the Pirates are led by rookie outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who went 4-for-5 on Friday to raise his batting average to .364.

Pirates third baseman Colin Moran, playing against the team that drafted him, homered and drove in a career-high five runs on Friday. He is hitting .275 with 10 homers and 40 RBIs.

Moran, the sixth overall selection in the 2013 draft, was traded to the Houston Astros in 2014 and never played a major league game for Miami. He was 1-for-7 in two previous games at Marlins Park.

In addition, Pittsburgh's Josh Bell leads the All-Star Game voting for NL first basemen. He is hitting .321 and leads the Pirates in homers (19) and RBIs (63).

The Marlins, meanwhile, got nine hits on Friday -- all singles. Rookie center fielder Harold Ramirez, who made his major league debut on May 11, was hitting in the .350s until recently. He still leads the team with a .303 batting average, but his slump continued on Friday, when he went 0-for-4.

--Field Level Media

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