Pierre's hitting streak over, ready for new one

SAN FRANCISCO -- It took a terrific backhanded stop at third base to put an end to Juan Pierre's 14-game hitting streak Thursday night.

Pierre went hitless in four at-bats in Miami's 2-1 win over the Giants at AT&T Park. The closest the veteran outfielder came to extending the string came in the first at-bat of the game.

Pierre slapped a sharp hopper to third base, where Nick Noonan made a backhanded snare and threw across the diamond to first for the out.

"The guy made a good play on me in the first inning, too," Pierre said. "I was like, 'Oh, man. He made a pretty good play.'"

Pierre batted .367 (22-for-60) during the streak.

Getting the speedster on base remains key to igniting the Marlins' offense.

Pierre started the streak on June 2, and he had eight multi-hit games during it. His batting average increased from .218 to .257.

"I was just finding the holes," he said. "That's the biggest thing. I'm doing all my preparation. I was just getting myself in good position to hit, and not fouling balls off that I should be putting in play.

"Other than that, I didn't change anything. I didn't do anything different. Hopefully, I just continue to build on it for the rest of the season."