PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The season is turning out much better than the Florida Marlins might have expected. The same can't be said for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

	Lowell

The Marlins, 12-28 in Three Rivers Stadium prior to the three-game series, swept the Pirates in Pittsburgh for the second time since joining the NL in 1993. The road sweep also was their first since they won three at Tampa Bay last June, and it finished a 6-3 road trip.

"It's the best trip I can remember in a long, long time," said manager John Boles, whose Marlins scored their 33rd victory in their 69th game. Last season, it took them 89 to win that many.

Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy, on the other hand, predicted his team could win 90 games. So far, the Pirates haven't made it to 30, slipping a season-low nine games under .500 (29-38) with their 10th loss in 15 games.

Brian Giles, one of the few Pirates enjoying a good season, said it's time to quit worrying about the division leaders and start worrying about ... the Pirates.

"I'm not concerned with St. Louis and Cincinnati. They're better than us," Giles said. "We've got to do something to finish on a positive note. We're missing opportunities game after game. It's very frustrating."

Manager Gene Lamont said the Pirates must start moving closer to .500 by the All-Star break.

"We don't like being nine under," Lamont said. "We need to make some headway. The best way to do that is to start winning some series, and we haven't done a very good job of that lately."

It was the Marlins' second victory in as many days in their final at-bat. They won 4-3 in 11 innings Saturday.

Reliever Jason Christiansen (1-7), losing his seventh consecutive decision, walked Andy Fox starting the ninth, and Preston Wilson was intentionally walked an out later. Mark Kotsay's force-play grounder advanced Fox ahead of Lowell's two-out grounder that struck reliever Mike Williams' glove before bouncing between shortstop Abraham Nunez and second baseman Warren Morris.

"He (Williams) throws a slider, and he throws it pretty hard," said Lowell, who was pinch-hitting for the first time. "All I was thinking was going the other way or going up the middle. It hit his glove and I didn't know if he was going to get it, so I was cursing and cheering all the way to first base."

Ricky Bones (2-2) gave up the tying run but still pitched two innings for the victory, and Antonio Alfonseca finished for his 20th save in 23 chances. Two of his three blown saves had been in Pittsburgh.

Marlins starter Brad Penny, forced from three of his previous four starts by rain delays, ignored an 81-minute rain delay at the start to limit the Pirates to one earned run in six innings. He struck out seven.

"I get teased about it a little bit," Penny said. "They're calling me "Rain Man" and giving me a hard time, but I think we've won every game there's been a delay. If that's the case, it can keep raining."

Penny left leading 4-3, but the Pirates tied it in the seventh against Bones on Wil Cordero's two-out double and John Vander Wal's run-scoring single.

Vander Wal also had an RBI single as Pittsburgh scored two unearned runs in the first on three singles, a Cordero fly ball that center fielder Preston Wilson dropped for an error and a double play grounder.

However, the Pirates' defense, deficient all season, immediately helped the Marlins take the lead with a three-run second. Vander Wal misplayed a throw to first that allowed Paul Bako to score on Luis Castillo's single. Fox followed with an RBI single and Cliff Floyd had a run-scoring double.

The Pirates got a run back on backup catcher Keith Osik's fourth career triple in the fourth.

Wilson doubled and scored on Mark Smith's single in the Florida fifth.

Pirates rookie Bronson Arroyo yielded eight hits and four runs, all but one unearned, and walked four in five innings.

Game notes
Pirates OF Emil Brown, who struck out as a pinch-hitter in the sixth, will go on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a urological problem. Aramis Ramirez, the Pirates' starting third baseman at the start of the season, was recalled from Triple-A Nashville. ... The Pirates went 9-10 in a stretch of 16 of 19 at home. They play 20 of their next 26 on the road, where they have lost nine of 12. ... Penny was limited to a combined 9 1/3 innings in his three rain-interrupted starts, allowing two earned runs. ... Pirates RHP Jose Silva makes his first start of the season Monday at Montreal. ... Marlins RHP Chuck Smith makes his second career start Monday against Milwaukee.