The Pittsburgh Pirates believe they have a shot at a wild-card playoff berth despite losing 11 of their past 14 games.
“I don’t think anyone needs to be Superman,” Pirates outfielder Jake Mangum said. “I just think we need to play better collectively.”
Despite their recent struggles, there’s no denying that the Pirates who take the field Wednesday night in Miami against the Marlins are a vastly improved team from the club that finished 20 games under .500 last season.
The Pirates are five games under .500 even after a 2-0 loss to Miami in Tuesday’s opener. They are 5 1/2 games out of the final wild card in the National League.
So, how have the Pirates improved?
For starters, there’s more power. Last year, the Pirates were last in the majors with 117 homers. The next-worst power team was the St. Louis Cardinals, who had 31 more homers. Still with 41 games remaining this season, the Pirates rank tied for 10th in the majors with 145.
Leading the way is Brandon Lowe, who was acquired in a three-way trade in December. He has gone deep 25 times, his fourth straight season of 20-plus homers.
However, injuries have hampered Pittsburgh’s offense lately. Currently, three Pirates starting hitters are on the injured list: rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin, center fielder Oneil Cruz and first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn.
Griffin, just 20, has a .736 OPS.
Cruz, who has an .822 OPS, has elite power, speed and arm strength.
O’Hearn, who signed a two-year, $29-million free-agent contract in January, was playing well (.788 OPS) before his injury.
The Pirates will turn to right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski (6-4, 3.51 ERA) to start on Wednesday
Mlodzinski yielded five runs on seven hits in three innings in a 6-4 loss to the New York Mets on Friday. He is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in four relief appearances (one start) versus Miami.
Meanwhile, the Marlins are on a modest three-game win streak. On Tuesday, they placed first baseman Kyle Stowers (left hamstring) on the injured list.
That’s a big blow considering Stowers was an All-Star last year.
In his place on Tuesday, the Marlins started Griffin Conine at first base. Conine went 1-for-3 with a walk and two fly balls that were caught on the warning track.
That performance has been fairly typical this year for the Marlins, who also are improved from 2025. The Marlins, who are two games over .500 after going 79-83 last year, have proven to be a resilient club. They are just 2 1/2 games out of the final NL wild card.
On Wednesday, the Marlins will start right-hander Janson Junk (5-7, 4.63).
Junk, 30, needs one more win to match his career high. He has faced the Pirates just once, posting an 11.25 ERA in four innings without a decision.
Offensively, the Marlins are hoping for the continued emergence of Esteury Ruiz, who got the start in right field on Tuesday and became the star of the game. He smacked a homer off of All-Star Paul Skenes and later got hit by a pitch, stole second and came around to score the game’s only other run.
Despite batting ninth on Tuesday, Ruiz has an .887 OPS in 76 games this year. He also has 28 steals in 31 attempts.
“He’s been a real spark for us, hasn’t he?” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said after Tuesday’s win. “I don’t know that there’s anyone better than him at a delayed steal. He’s incredibly athletic.”
–Field Level Media
