Coming off shutout loss, Pirates eager to display power vs. Marlins

Coming off shutout loss, Pirates eager to display power vs. Marlins

The Pittsburgh Pirates believe they have a shot at a wild-card playoff berth despite losing 11 of their last 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 are vastly improved from the club that finished 20 games under .500 last season.

The Pirates, who will continue their three-game series at the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night, are only five games under .500, even after a 2-0 loss to Miami in Tuesday's opener.

So, how have the Pirates -- who are six games out of a wild-card spot in the National League -- 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 home runs. This year, the Pirates already have more homers (145) than last year, ranking tied for 10th in the majors in that category.

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' starters are on the injured list: rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin, center fielder Oneil Cruz and first baseman Ryan O'Hearn.

Griffin, just 20 years old, is advanced for his age, and has a .736 OPS. Cruz, who has an .822 OPS, has elite power, speed and arm strength. And 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 Wednesday's game.

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) vs. Miami.

Meanwhile, the Marlins are on a modest three-game winning 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 flyballs that were caught on the warning track.

That performance has been fairly typical this year for the Marlins, who also have improved from 2025. The Marlins, who are two games over .500 after going 79-83 last year, have proved to be resilient.

On Wednesday, the Marlins will start right-hander Janson Junk (5-7, 4.63 ERA).

Junk, 30, needs one more win to match his career high. He has faced the Pirates just once, last season, posting an 11.25 ERA in four innings without a decision.

Offensively, the Marlins hope for the continued emergence of Esteury Ruiz, who started 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 scored 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