Braxton Ashcraft made this one simple from the mound, and the Pirates made it lopsided at the plate. Pittsburgh broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning and buried Miami with a five-run ninth, rolling to a 13-1 win.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 16 | 1 |
| MIA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Ashcraft was the story before the offense ever got loud. He went the full nine innings, allowing just 3 hits and 1 run while striking out 10 and walking only 1. He needed just 85 pitches to finish the complete game, carrying a 3.88 ERA into the record books as he improved to 12-5 on the season.
The Pirates broke through in the fifth when Mangum scored on a balk to make it 1-0, and Triolo followed immediately with a home run to right center that made it 2-0. Pittsburgh kept building in the sixth, as Mangum was hit by a pitch to bring home Gonzales, and Triolo delivered again with a single to left that scored both Gonzalez and Valdez. The game turned into an avalanche late: Flores Jr. homered to left in the eighth to score Mangum and Triolo, then homered again in the ninth to plate two more, sandwiched around a Gonzalez homer to right that brought in Valdez. By the time the ninth ended, Pittsburgh had tacked on five more runs in that frame alone.
Tyler Phillips took the loss for Miami, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits over 5.1 innings with 6 strikeouts and a walk, falling to 3-6 on the season. The Marlins' bullpen surrendered 9 runs across 3.2 innings as Pittsburgh's lineup kept the line moving into the late innings. Miami's only run came in the ninth on a home run to center by Owen Caissie, whose blast was little more than a footnote against the tide.
Triolo finished 3-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs, while Flores Jr. went 2-for-5 with two home runs and 6 RBIs. Pittsburgh improved to 59-64 with the win, snapping out of its recent skid, while Miami dropped to 62-60.