The Miami Marlins received a strong start from Jose Fernandez in their 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.

Fernandez lasted seven innings and allowed no runs on only three hits. The ace of Miami's staff struck out six and walked none. At only 88 pitches, Fernandez likely could have stayed in longer, but manager Don Mattingly elected to go to his bullpen.

A.J. Ramos ran into trouble in the ninth inning and nearly blew the save. Handed a three-run lead, Ramos loaded the bases and then almost saw the fourth hitter of the inning hit a grand slam. Ramos would end up finishing the win for his 16th save of the year. Fernandez is now 8-2 on the season with a 2.53 E.R.A.

The Marlins had some difficulty with runners in scoring position as they went 2-13 in the win. Miami left nine men on base and easily could have had more than the three runs it had. Those wasted opportunities almost became a problem in the ninth when Ramos allowed the first three hitters to reach.

The game was tied at zero until the bottom of the seventh inning when Miami plated three runs. Christian Yelich knocked had one run batted in while Justin Bour added one of his own. Another run scored via a wild pitch.

The Marlins will send Adam Conley to the mound on Wednesday in the third game of the series.