Lewin Diaz hits 2-run walk-off homer in 10th to lift Marlins past Pirates, avoid series sweep
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The Pittsburgh Pirates are the only team in baseball without a series sweep, and their search for one ended in heartbreak once again.
Lewin Diaz hit a two-run home run to right field off Chad Kuhl in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Miami Marlins to a 6-5 walk-off win over the Pirates on Sunday afternoon at loanDepot Park.
The Pirates (56-93) won their fourth consecutive series by taking the first two games at the Marlins (63-86) – just as they had at home against the Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds – but are now 0 for 15 with a chance to complete a series sweep.
“If we keep winning the first two games of series and put ourselves in a position to sweep, then we’re gonna be in good shape,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, “but today’s a tough one because we had the lead twice and ended up giving it back.”
What’s worse, two of the Pirates’ most reliable pitchers were on the mound when they blew both leads. After Hoy Park’s two-run home run gave them a 4-3 advantage in the top of the ninth, Chris Stratton was one out away from ending the game when he gave up the tying run to send it into extra innings. Ke’Bryan Hayes scored the go-ahead run in the 10th on Ben Gamel’s sacrifice fly before Kuhl served up the 390-foot homer by Diaz on a 3-2 slider low and inside.
“They’ve been really good for us. They’re gonna continue to be really good for us,” Shelton said. “But you can’t expect guys to be perfect.”
It didn’t help that the Pirates were 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position, with one thrown out at home and two stranded at third base. Their inability to capitalize proved costly.
“I think that’s it as much as anything,” Shelton said. “We had opportunities to extend the lead multiple times and didn’t do it. We have to do a better job of that.”
The Pirates got off to a strong start, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Cole Tucker hit a grounder past Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara and third baseman Eddy Alvarez’s throw pulled Lewin Diaz off first base. Tucker stole second, then scored on Alcantara’s errant throw to first on an Anthony Alford grounder.
After Jacob Stallings grounded into a forceout, Tucker doubled in the fourth to put runners on second and third. But Stallings was thrown out at the plate on a contact read on Alford’s grounder to third, and Tucker was stranded at third when Park grounded out.
Rookie right-hander Max Kranick was promoted from the taxi squad, as Bryse Wilson (strained left hamstring) was placed on the 10-day injured list. In his seventh major league start, Kranick provided plenty of swing-and-miss action. He struck out the final two batters of the first inning and whiffed the side swinging in the second, making him the first Pirates rookie pitcher to strike out five consecutive batters since Jose De Leon in 1983. Kranick whiffed Alex Jackson to start the third, giving him six consecutive strikeouts – the most since Francisco Liriano fanned seven straight in 2013 – and got 19 swings and misses on 82 pitches.
The Marlins, however, took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth when Jesus Sanchez hit a leadoff double and Diaz drew a one-out walk. Joe Panik followed with a double to right field that scored both runners after second baseman Hoy Park’s relay throw was high and pulled Stallings off the plate as Diaz slid safe at home.
After controlling his pace and setting the tempo by changing speeds on his slider, Kranick struggled his third time through the Marlins lineup. It started with a leadoff walk of Jazz Chisholm, who advanced to third on a single by Bryan De La Cruz and scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Sanchez to make it 3-1.
“I feel a little frustrated because I kind of got away from that in the fourth inning when things got slow,” Kranick said. “I kind of got out of whack there. That’s something I need to change from pitch to pitch. Instead, it took me probably two batters. I need to realize that sooner and nip that in the bud and continue to roll.”
Tucker – who was 3 for 5 in Saturday’s 6-3 win – came through with another hit when he singled to right to start the seventh and scored on Alford’s triple down the left field line to cut it to 3-2. Park drew a walk to put runners on first and third with no outs, and the Marlins pulled Alcantara (103 pitches in six innings) for reliever Anthony Bender.
The Pirates had Yoshi Tsutsugo pinch hit – he was batting .467 (7 for 15) with 12 RBIs with runners in scoring position – but he popped up to shallow center. Hayes followed by grounding into a 1-6-3 double play to end the scoring threat.
A two-run double by Joe Panik in the fourth inning gave the Marlins a 3-2 lead but Park’s two-run home run off Dylan Floro with one out in the top of the ninth inning lifted the Pirates to a 4-3 lead.
The Marlins tied the game when Bryan De La Cruz singled to score Magnerius Sierra in the bottom of the ninth. Sierra pinch ran for pinch hitter Nick Fortes after he drew a one-out walk, and went from first to third on a groundout to second by Jazz Chisholm.
Hayes started the 10th inning on second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch by Steven Okert and scored on Gamel’s sacrifice fly to right field to give the Pirates a 5-4 lead.
“I know luck really hasn’t been falling his way that much lately but we believe in Hoy,” Tucker said. “The whole dugout was chanting, ‘Hoy! Hoy! Hoy!’ (pumps fists), like his walk-up song after he hit it. It was a pretty cool moment to be a part of.”
The moment was fleeting, as Diaz drove Kuhl’s 3-2 pitch 390 feet over the outstretched arm of a leaping Tucker in right field to drive in Sanchez and lift the Marlins to victory.
“We don’t want to lose,” Park said. “We try to score every inning. We just keep fighting. And we finally made it 4-3 in the ninth inning, but this is baseball. Sometimes there’s losing, sometimes there’s winning. But we’ve gotta keep fighting.”