The Miami Marlins continued their push toward the National League postseason Wednesday night, riding a strong performance from Janson Junk and a powerful offensive attack to an 8-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The win extended Miami’s winning streak to four games and improved the Marlins to 62-59 on the season. Miami also continued its impressive play at home, moving to 38-24 at loanDepot park. That marks the club’s best 62-game home stretch since 2003, the season in which the Marlins won their second World Series.
Junk delivered one of his best outings of the season, earning the victory after allowing two runs—only one earned—on four hits and one walk over six innings. Tyler Zuber, Calvin Faucher and Victor Vodnik each followed with a scoreless inning of relief to preserve the comfortable lead.
Griffin Conine was a major catalyst for Miami, reaching base five times and hitting his 13th home run of the season.
With the game tied 1-1 in the third inning, Conine opened the frame with a double against Pittsburgh starter Carmen Mlodzinski. Heriberto Hernández followed with a walk, and Agustín Ramírez then doubled to bring home Conine and give Miami a 2-1 lead.
The Pirates quickly turned to Evan Sisk, but Miami continued to pile on. Sisk walked pinch-hitter Javier Sanoja to load the bases before hitting Leo Jiménez with a pitch and walking Joe Mack, forcing in two more runs. Xavier Edwards added a sacrifice fly to push Miami’s advantage to 5-1.
Conine struck again in the fourth, launching his 13th homer of the season off former Marlins reliever Lake Bachar to give Miami a 6-2 advantage.
Hernández provided another big blow in the sixth inning, crushing his 17th home run of the season and extending the Marlins’ lead to 8-2.
Pittsburgh briefly took the lead in the second inning when Nick Gonzales singled and eventually scored on a two-out throwing error by Miami shortstop Otto López.
The Marlins answered immediately. Edwards delivered an infield hit with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, bringing home Miami’s first run and tying the game at 1-1. From there, Junk kept the Pirates under control while Miami’s offense took over.
Mlodzinski, who entered the game with a strong record, was charged with four runs on five hits before being removed in the third inning. Bachar surrendered three runs on three hits over three innings after Pittsburgh acquired him at the trade deadline.
Pittsburgh’s second run came on a sacrifice fly by Valdez in the fourth, but the Pirates were unable to generate any further offense.
The victory keeps Miami firmly in the National League wild-card race. At 62-59, the Marlins trail the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks by just 1½ games for the final NL wild-card position. The Pirates, meanwhile, have struggled since the trade deadline, falling to 1-7 during that stretch.
With the regular season entering its crucial final weeks, Miami has positioned itself for an important stretch run. The Marlins’ recent four-game winning streak has provided valuable momentum as they chase a postseason berth.
The Marlins will have an opportunity to complete a three-game sweep of the Pirates on Thursday. Pittsburgh will send right-hander Braxton Ashcraft, who is 11-5 with a 4.08 ERA, to the mound. Miami will counter with right-hander Tyler Phillips, who enters with a 3-5 record and a 3.47 ERA.
With Miami just 1½ games out of the final wild-card spot, Thursday’s matchup could be another important step in the Marlins’ postseason push.
