Rough Start for the Marlins
The Marlins faced off against the Pittsburgh Pirates today, and it was a rough start from the get-go. In the bottom of the 1st inning, errors and missed opportunities gave the Pirates an early lead. Isaiah Kiner-Falefa and Bryan Reynolds set the stage, and an error from Jake Burger allowed the Pirates to put two runs on the board.
Quiet Middle Innings
Both teams struggled offensively in the middle innings. The Marlins couldn't seem to get anything going, with Javier Sanoja, Jesus Sanchez, and Otto Lopez each having quiet at-bats. Pitcher after pitcher, the Pirates kept us off balance. We did show some life with a single from Jhonny Pereda, but it didn't amount to much early on.
5th and 6th Inning Roadblocks
The 5th inning was brutal. Andrew McCutchen smashed a homer to left center, bringing Reynolds and Oneil Cruz in with him. We found ourselves down 6-1. The following inning saw a glimmer of hope. Jake Burger scored on a sac fly, and Kyle Stowers doubled to drive in Otto Lopez. We cut the lead to 6-3, but Pirates’ pitcher David Bednar stopped us cold. Just when it seemed we were clawing back, David Hensley struck out, ending our rally.
Pirates Closer Shuts the Door
Entering the 9th inning, hope was still alive. Jhonny Pereda singled, followed by Sanoja. With two outs, Jake Burger singled in a run, making it 6-4. Jose Devers came in as a pinch-runner, and it felt like we could pull off a miracle. Alas, the Pirates brought in their closer, Aroldis Chapman, who struck out Otto Lopez to end the game.
Final Thoughts
A tough loss for our Marlins with a final score of 4-6. Despite the early setbacks and a valiant effort to stage a comeback, we fell short. Highlights go to Jhonny Pereda and Kyle Stowers for keeping the offense going. It’s another day at the ballpark, and as always, we’ll be back stronger!
Let's keep our heads up, Marlins fans. On to the next one!
Scoreboard for Marlins @ Pirates (September 10th, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 1 |