None of that mattered for the first two games. Miami had rattled off 4 straight wins and taken the first two of this set to clinch the series, riding home runs from Griffin Conine and Heriberto Hernández and a strong six innings from Janson Junk in the 8-2 win Wednesday (Yahoo Sports). Pittsburgh, meanwhile, had dropped 7 straight series and needed the finale just to avoid another one (Pittsburgh Baseball Now).
The finale flipped the script entirely. The Pirates were held scoreless for 4 innings before breaking through for 2 in the 5th, then tacked on 3 more in the 6th and stayed hot the rest of the way, finishing with 16 hits against a Miami staff that had no answers. The Marlins' only run came in the bottom of the 9th, long after the game had been decided.
Roster instability chased both sides into the finale. The Pirates placed catcher Endy Rodriguez on the 10-day IL with left hip inflammation, the latest hit to a lineup already missing Oneil Cruz and Ryan O'Hearn, while Mitch Keller remains out on the 60-day list with a teres major injury. Miami's absences run just as deep, with Kyle Stowers out with a hamstring strain and relievers Anthony Bender, William Kempner and Andrew Nardi all shelved, leaving the Marlins with less margin for error than the standings suggest.
For Pittsburgh, the win at least stops the bleeding after a brutal stretch and buys a little breathing room in a season that's still under .500. For Miami, it's a reminder that even a team that had won 4 in a row can get run off its own field once a lineup connects up and down the order.