PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates clinched their season-high fourth consecutive victory with a significant 10-3 triumph over the faltering Miami Marlins on Monday night. A pivotal moment came in the third inning when Bryan Reynolds delivered a bases-clearing triple, resulting in a decisive lead.
Reynolds’ crucial hit propelled the Pirates to a 4-1 lead after finding a gap in right-center field, off Miami’s pitcher Eury Pérez. Pérez was pitching his first major league game since recovering from Tommy John surgery. Contributing to the moment was Andrew McCutchen, who had previously secured an RBI with an infield single.
Showing their offensive prowess, all nine members of the Pirates’ lineup achieved hits, with McCutchen and Adam Frazier each collecting three hits. Brett Sullivan made an impactful debut for Pittsburgh, driving in two runs after being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the week.
Pérez managed to complete just three innings while conceding four runs and four hits, alongside five strikeouts and two walks in his 70-pitch performance. The Marlins have been struggling, having lost eight of their last nine encounters. Notably, Pérez, 22 years old, claims the title of the youngest pitcher currently in the major leagues.
Pittsburgh extended their lead further with a fruitful four-run burst during the sixth inning, aided by two throwing errors from Miami when Ke’Bryan Hayes executed a well-placed bunt single. This sequence advanced the Pirates’ lead to 8-2. Earlier, Miami’s Otto Lopez had initiated the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning.
Rookie Mike Burrows, starting for the Pirates, allowed two runs across 4 1/3 innings, yielding four hits while striking out six and walking three. Reliever Caleb Ferguson shined with two immaculate innings, securing the victory for Pittsburgh.
The game experienced a delay of 41 minutes due to ominous weather conditions potentially impacting the start.
Key Moment: Reynolds’ triple was pivotal in securing the necessary runs for the Pirates to maintain their winning momentum.
Key Stat: Pittsburgh boasts a remarkable 20-8 home record against National League East opponents dating back to last season.
Up Next: The series continues on Tuesday night, where the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara (2-7, 7.89 ERA) will face off against the Pirates’ Mitch Keller (1-8, 4.13 ERA).