MIAMI — After missing out on Miami during the condensed 2020 season, the Pirates picked up right where they left off Friday, riding some strong pitching to a 2-1 victory over the Marlins at loanDepot Park.
Wil Crowe went five innings and gave up one run, the resurgent bullpen allowed none over four, and Pittsburgh improved to 5-1 in its last six games played here. Dating back to 2017, the Pirates are 15-8 in their previous 23 against Miami.
Pitching has been a winning recipe for the Pirates in South Florida, as their pitching staff has now posted a 1.87 ERA in the last six games here. Should they win Saturday or Sunday, the Pirates would claim their fourth consecutive series overall and their fourth in a row in Miami.
Although the Pirates were hitting .311 with 21 extra-base hits and 27 runs scored in those previous five games, this was hardly some sort of offensive outburst.
Anthony Alford was the only Pirate with multiple hits. Bryan Reynolds and Yoshi Tsutsugo had their only extra-base hits — each with a double.
Pittsburgh picked up its first run on an error, its second via sacrifice fly, and one inning was short-circuited by third-base coach Joey Cora's ill-advised send of Colin Moran, a play that has already been scrutinized.
The most impressive stuff, again, came from the pitching staff. After manager Derek Shelton lifted Crowe for a pinch-hitter in the sixth — two-on, two-out, Crowe due to face 2-3-4 on his third trip through the order — Anthony Banda, Nick Mears, Chad Kuhl and Chris Stratton took it the rest of the way.
Banda got five outs, two via strikeout. Mears got two before Kuhl delivered a 1-2-3 eighth. Chris Stratton had the best performance of the bunch, striking out the side in the ninth to waste a leadoff triple from center fielder Bryan De La Cruz.
With the game tied at 1, the Pirates pulled in front thanks to a pair of walks, a passed ball and a Cole Tucker sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. Moran and Jacob Stallings walked to open the inning. They moved up 90 feet apiece on a passed ball charged to Marlins catcher Payton Henry, who was making his MLB debut.
Appearing in a game for the first time since Sunday, Tucker scored Moran with a fly ball to center field.
The Pirates did not hit Marlins starter Elieser Hernandez particularly hard; however, they were able to leverage a few of his random bouts of wildness. Hernandez walked five over 5 2/3 innings.
With two outs in the top of the first, Hernandez issued free passes to Reynolds and Moran. Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. couldn't corral a ground ball up the middle from Stallings, and Reynolds motored home to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.
But after Tucker shot a single up the middle, an over-aggressive send from third-base coach Joey Cora ended the inning, with De La Cruz’s third nailing Moran by at least 25 feet.
A walk from Crowe led to the Marlins’ first run, although it was the only one they got against the right-hander.
Crowe walked right fielder Jesus Sanchez to open the second. First baseman Lewin Diaz followed with a single, and third baseman Eddy Alvarez hit a well-placed change-up from Crowe through the right side for a run-scoring single.
It was hard to fault Crowe there. He also did a job solid in a game where he clearly did not have great command of his fastball. Crowe threw just 25 combined sinkers and four-seamers, leaning mostly on his slider and change-up, two pitches that accounted for 10 of his 11 whiffs. They all finished all five of his strikeouts.
To the Hall
When the Pirates wore Roberto Clemente’s No. 21 as a team for the first time last year, third-base coach Joey Cora became the first native of Puerto Rico to wear it since the iconic right fielder’s tragic death in 1972.
After the Pirates honored Clemente by again donning his number on Wednesday at PNC Park, Cora’s jersey officially became part of history, as it was sent away to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on Cooperstown, N.Y.
“If you spend any time around Joey, he’s extremely proud of his heritage,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “The fact that he was the first Puerto Rican to wear a ‘Pirates 21’ since Clemente, I think it’s really cool that it’s going in. Very well deserved.”
