Alcantara (5-4, 4.33) versus Braxton Ashcraft (5-3, 3.28) is the marquee line on the card, and it's a real contrast — the former Cy Young trying to stack quality outings against a 26-year-old Pirate who's quietly been one of the better young arms in the NL. Ashcraft's ERA is the lower number, but he's the one walking in off the worst start of the run.
Alcantara just shoved 7 innings of 1-run ball with 7 strikeouts against Tampa Bay on June 7, the kind of outing that suggests the version of him the Marlins paid for is starting to show up more often. Ashcraft, meanwhile, got tagged for 6 earned in 5 by Atlanta in his last turn. Couple that with a Pittsburgh bullpen that's been torched lately and you can see why Miami's getting some love as a road dog.
The form gap is the headline. Miami has reeled off 5 wins in a row — sweeping Arizona with shutouts on back-to-back nights — while Pittsburgh has dropped 4 of its last 5, including back-to-back losses to the Dodgers where the bullpen surrendered crooked numbers in the late innings. Momentum doesn't throw pitches, but the Pirates' high-leverage relief options are thinning out fast.
- Day-To-DayThomas White SP — White was diagnosed with a left shoulder capsular sprain Friday and is expected to miss the rest of the season, Isaac Azout of FishOnFirst.com reports.
- Day-To-DayKemp Alderman RF — Triple-A Jacksonville placed Alderman on the 7-day injured list Tuesday due to a left wrist injury, Michael Germanese of Roundtable.io reports.
- 15-Day-ILJosh Ekness RP — Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Monday that Ekness is expected to miss approximately six weeks due to a right calf strain, Kyle Sielaff of Marlins.tv reports.
- 15-Day-ILJanson Junk SP — The Marlins placed Junk on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to right shin bone inflammation, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILEury Perez SP — The Marlins placed Perez on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Thursday, due to a right gracilis strain.
- 60-Day-ILGriffin Conine LF — Conine (hamstring) appears to be a week or two away from beginning a rehab assignment, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
- 60-Day-ILAndrew Nardi RP — The Marlins transferred Nardi (ribcage) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
- 60-Day-ILRobby Snelling SP — Snelling underwent internal brace surgery Friday to repair a torn UCL in his left elbow.
- Day-To-DayEndy Rodriguez C — Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk, three RBI, an additional run scored and a stolen base in Tuesday's 10-6 win over the Astros.
- Day-To-DayAnthony Solometo SP — Solometo underwent left shoulder labrum surgery and is expected to be sidelined until at least April 2027, Mark Chiarelli of Baseball America reports.
- Day-To-DayMitch Jebb LF
- Day-To-DayOddanier Mosqueda RP — Mosqueda will not throw for a couple weeks due to left forearm inflammation, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
- Day-To-DayMike Clevinger RP — Clevinger is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks after being diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DaySean Sullivan SP — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Sullivan is battling right elbow soreness, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
- 10-Day-ILOneil Cruz CF — Cruz (hand) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
- 10-Day-ILKonnor Griffin SS — Griffin (elbow) did some flat-ground throwing from out to 90 feet Wednesday at about 75 percent intensity, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Pittsburgh is also playing this one without Oneil Cruz (hand) and Konnor Griffin (elbow) on the IL, with Joey Bart still on a rehab assignment. That's a chunk of the lineup spine missing against an Alcantara who, when he's right, will eat innings and let the Marlins bullpen — which has been the team's hottest unit — close the door.
First pitch is 6:40 PM ET at PNC. If Alcantara holds form and Ashcraft can't keep the ball in the yard against a Marlins lineup that just hung 10 and 8 on Arizona, this could swing in a hurry.