Ricky Nolasco outdueled his former Minor League teammate, Sean Marshall, by giving up four hits over seven innings, and hitting his first career home run and an RBI single to lead the Florida Marlins to a 9-1 victory Monday night over the Cubs.

"They hit us in our mouth tonight and we didn't fight back," Cubs center fielder Juan Pierre said. "They jumped out from the gate when Hanley [Ramirez] hit the base hit up the middle and it took everybody by surprise. First pitch of the game -- and they didn't look back from there."

Cubs manager Dusty Baker had called Sunday's win over the Chicago White Sox the biggest of the year. After Monday's loss, which ended the Marlins' losing streak at seven games, the Cubs have dropped 16 of their last 20 games.

"It's terribly frustrating when you play a good game like we did yesterday and a bad game like we did today," Baker said. "I've said a hundred times, it starts with starting pitching, and we've got to get our starting pitching together."

Marshall and Nolasco were together on the Cubs' Double-A West Tenn team in parts of 2004 and '05. A fourth-round selection by the Cubs in 2001, Nolasco was dealt to the Marlins this winter with two other pitchers for Pierre. The rookie pitcher now has more home runs this season than the Cubs center fielder.

"Boy, it was a bad night," Baker said.

Pierre, playing his first game in Florida since the trade, went 2-for-4 and was cheered by the Dolphin Stadium crowd of 9,462.

"I guess they appreciated what I did here my three years," Pierre said. "It was good to get applauded from things you did in the past."

People were spotted in the stands wearing T-shirts that said, "I miss J.P."

"I didn't think in a million years that people would think that about me," Pierre said. "I'm not a headliner, a big home run, RBI guy."

The Cubs could use someone like that right about now.

Nolasco (3-1) threw six shutout innings and was tagged for a run with two outs in the seventh when Aramis Ramirez hit his ninth home run. The right-hander walked two and struck out three. He led off the fourth with his first homer, launching the first pitch from Marshall to left.

"He swung hard and ran into it," Marshall said.

Marshall (3-2) took the loss, the second time in the last three starts that he hasn't gotten past the fourth inning. The rookie served up seven runs on seven hits and four walks over 3 1/3 innings.

"I left pitches up again and got punished for it," Marshall said. "It may be a little bit of a mechanic thing, maybe trying to do a little too much. We'll work on it."

"He didn't have his command," Baker said. "When he did throw a strike, it was over the heart of the plate. He had quite a few uncharacteristic walks and hit batsmen. You can't walk people. You walk them, you're asking for trouble.

"I asked Michael [Barrett], and he said [Marshall] was out of sync. He never got in sync," Baker said. "I really didn't want to get to the bullpen too early. I'm killing the bullpen."

The Marlins took a 1-0 lead in the first on a run-scoring double play by Miguel Cabrera, and made it 4-0 in the second on a two-run single by Hanley Ramirez and an RBI double by Dan Uggla.

After Nolasco's homer, Marshall hit Hanley Ramirez, and one out later, he walked Cabrera. Michael Wuertz replaced Marshall, and he struck out the first batter he faced before serving up a two-run double to Chris Aguila.

It was reunion time. Renyel Pinto, also dealt to the Marlins in the Pierre deal, pitched the eighth and former Cub Todd Wellemeyer, traded to Florida in March for two Minor League pitchers, handled the ninth.

The Cubs (18-26) can catch up with old friends any time. They've got a steep hill to climb now to get back to .500.

"We've got to start playing better," Pierre said. "It's getting to be crunch time. You keep saying, 'It's early, it's early,' but teams like this you should beat. We competed a little bit but when you lose 9-1 -- not taking nothing from the Marlins, they played well -- but you have to be at least in the game. We've got to do something to get back in the game.

"We just haven't been consistent," Pierre said. "I know I haven't been consistent as a player, but as a team, also. You come off a big win against the White Sox and I know the energy is not there with the crowd and the series and stuff, but as professionals you have to find a way to win the game. Bottom line. You're paid to win and perform no matter what the circumstances, and we just didn't do it tonight."

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.