Pirates Turn it on Too Late, Fall to Marlins Despite Late Power Display; Win Streak Snapped

PITTSBURGH — Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara had the highest ERA in baseball among pitchers to log at least 50 innings this season, but the former Cy Young winner looked like his old self against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night. 

Alcantara (3-7) threw 6.0-shutout innings before the Pirates (27-41) tried fighting back against the bullpen, but it was too little too late in a 3-2 loss at PNC Park.

How We Got There

Mitch Keller (1-9) faced the minimum through the first two innings but allowed a two-run home run to Nick Fortes in the third to break a scoreless tie.

The Marlins (25-40) tacked on another in the bottom of the fourth inning when Eric Wagaman’s two-out single followed a Keller wild pitch, allowing Otto Lopez to move into scoring position. 

After a Bryan Reynolds two-out walk in the third inning, Marlins’ pitchers retired 13 batters in a row until Ke’Bryan Hayes connected on a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the eighth against Ronny Henriquez. It was the first home run for Hayes since Apr. 4 against the Yankees. 

Two batters later, Oneil Cruz hit a no-doubt solo home run to right-center to bring the Pirates within a run. 

Ke'Bryan Hayes 🤝 Oneil Cruz
8th Inning Homers pic.twitter.com/RcGuDNaMwD

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 11, 2025

Key Moment

The Pirates had runners on second and third with one out in the ninth but Calvin Faucher retired Henry Davis on a lazy fly ball to right and struck out Ke’Bryan Hayes.

Star of the Game

Tuesday’s start was the first this season in which Sandy Alcantara didn’t allow multiple runs. In his 6.0-shutout innings, the right-hander allowed three hits, walked one and struck out six.

Stat to Know

Mitch Keller’s last win at PNC Park came last season on July 8 against the Mets. Since that start, Keller is 2-16 over his last 18 decisions. 

Notable Performances

• Mitch Keller: 6.0 innings, eight hits, three runs, no walks, four strikeouts, 97 pitches/73 strikes
• Isaac Mattson: 2.0 innings, two hits, no runs, no walks, three strikeouts, 21 pitches/16 strikes
• Ke’Bryan Hayes: 1 for 4, one home run, one RBI, one run
• Oneil Cruz: 1 for 4, one home run, one RBI, one run

Noteworthy

• The loss snapped the Pirates’ season-high four-game win streak.
• Mitch Keller passed Francisco Liriano for second place with 373 career strikeouts at PNC Park. Paul Maholm is the all-time leader at PNC Park with 383.
• Ke’Bryan Hayes’ home run was his first extra-base hit since hitting a double against the Reds on May 21.
• The Pirates re-signed RHP Tanner Rainey to a minor-league deal.

Up Next

The Pirates will go for the series win on Wednesday afternoon. LHP Bailey Falter (4-3, 3.49 ERA) will be on the mound for the Pirates. RHP Cal Quantrill (3-6, 5.63 ERA) will start for the Marlins. First pitch: 12:35 p.m. ET.