Junk Deals, Bats Explode: Marlins Make It Four Straight with 8-2 Beatdown

MIAMI — The Marlins are officially rolling, and the Pirates just got caught in the wave.

Griffin Conine and Heriberto Hernández both went yard, Janson Junk worked six solid innings, and Miami kept its foot on the gas in an 8-2 beatdown of Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. Four straight wins. And right now, this team looks like it's playing with serious intent.

Junk Delivers When It Matters

Junk improved to 6-7 after allowing two runs — only one earned — on four hits and a walk over six innings. Not flashy, but exactly what the Marlins needed. Then Tyler Zuber, Calvin Faucher and Victor Vodnik came in and shut the door with three scoreless innings of relief.

Bats Come Alive

Conine was a nightmare for Pittsburgh pitching all night, reaching base five times. He led off the third with a double, and after Hernández walked, Agustín Ramírez doubled to put Miami up 2-1. Then the Pirates' bullpen lost the plot.

Evan Sisk loaded the bases, plunked Leo Jiménez, and walked Joe Mack to force in a pair. Xavier Edwards added a sacrifice fly, and just like that it was 5-1.

Conine then crushed his 13th homer off former Marlins reliever Lake Bachar in the fourth. In the sixth, Bachar walked Conine before Hernández's 17th bomb stretched the lead to six runs. Ballgame.

Home Cooking In Miami

The Marlins improved to 38-24 at home — their best 62-game home stretch since their 2003 World Series championship season. At 62-59 overall, they're sitting 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies and Diamondbacks in the NL wild-card race. This is a team that clearly believes.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is reeling: 1-7 since the trade deadline. Nick Gonzalez scored on a two-out throwing error by Otto Lopez in the second to give the Pirates the game's first run, but Miami answered immediately and never looked back. Valdez added a sacrifice fly in the fourth, but Pittsburgh never got closer.

What's Next

The Marlins go for the sweep Thursday as Tyler Phillips takes the mound against Pittsburgh's Braxton Ashcraft. If Miami keeps swinging like this, watch out.