Lake Bachar (0-0, 2.97) gets the ball for Miami opposite Bubba Chandler (2-7, 4.91) at 4:05 PM ET. Bachar's last outing was a 3-inning, 38-pitch piggyback look against Tampa — he's functioning as a bulk/opener type, not a true 6-inning starter, so the Marlins bullpen is going to carry real weight here.
The shape of this game has flipped fast. The Marlins were a sub-.500 club a week ago and now sit at 35-35 with 5 straight wins coming into Pittsburgh, plus Friday's 8-3 stomping makes it 6. Pittsburgh is also 35-35 but stumbling — they dropped 2 of 3 to the Dodgers, got run by Miami to open this set, and the lineup is leaking pieces.
The injury list is doing a lot of work for the Pirates right now. Oneil Cruz is on the 10-day IL with a hand issue, Konnor Griffin (elbow) is still throwing flat-ground, and Joey Bart is just now starting a rehab assignment at Single-A Bradenton. Take Cruz out of the middle of that order and you're asking guys to do jobs they haven't earned yet.
- 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-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.
- 10-Day-ILJoey Bart C — Bart (foot) will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday at Single-A Bradenton, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Miami isn't exactly whole either — Eury Perez and Janson Junk are on the 15-day IL and Thomas White is reportedly done for the year with a shoulder issue — but the offense has found a gear. Back-to-back shutouts of Arizona last weekend, then 8 on Pittsburgh in the opener. Bachar going short means the matchup turns into a bullpen game by the 4th, and Miami's pen has been the one closing the door.
Chandler's profile is the wild card. The Pirates' rookie has the stuff but the 4.91 ERA and 2-7 record tell you the command comes and goes. His last time out he gutted out a win in Houston — 5 innings, 4 earned, 91 pitches — and he'll need a cleaner version of that against a Marlins lineup that's seeing it. If he's behind in counts early, this gets out of hand quickly.