Marlins spoil JT Brubaker's strong performance by rallying for walk-off win in 10th

A game that started with strong pitching performances ended with a wild pitch with the bases loaded in the 10th inning.

Jesus Aguilar scored the winning run when All-Star closer David Bednar’s pitch got past catcher Jason Delay, whose throw sailed past home plate as the Miami Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-4, on Wednesday night at loanDepot park.

The loss snapped the Pirates’ four-game winning streak and spoiled the best start of the season by right-hander JT Brubaker, who struck out nine in seven scoreless innings and left with a 1-0 lead. The Pirates also took a 4-2 lead into the top of the 10th inning.

“We had a chance to win. We had the lead twice and ended up giving it back,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “We just didn’t execute pitches at the end of the game. Brubaker was really good, really sharp. He did a nice job. At the end of the game, we just did not execute pitches.”

The Pirates conclude their four-game series against Marlins at 12:10 p.m. Thursday, then head to Colorado for three games against the Rockies before the All-Star break.

Duane Underwood Jr. replaced Brubaker and, after recording two outs, lost control of the game and surrendered the lead. Underwood hit Joey Wendle with a pitch — the Marlins won a challenge on the call — and walked Berti before he hit Aguilar on the forearm to load the bases for Avisail Garcia, who hit a two-run single to center for a 2-1 lead.

The Pirates tied it in the ninth against Marlins lefty reliever Tanner Scott, who walked Daniel Vogelbach and Ke’Bryan Hayes before Michael Chavis hit a 2-2 slider off the left-field wall to score Vogelbach.

After Yerry De Los Santos got Bryan De La Cruz looking at a called third strike with the go-ahead run at second base to end the ninth, the Pirates started the 10th inning with Jack Suwinski at second base. Marlins third baseman Brian Anderson made an error on Jason Delay’s chopper, and Jake Marisnick executed a bunt to load the bases.

Vogelbach drove in Suwinski with a groundout to second for a 3-2 lead. Hayes followed by hitting a scorching single to center to score Delay for a 4-2 lead, but Marisnick was thrown out at the plate for the final out.

The Marlins answered with a Miguel Rojas single off Bednar that put runners on second and third. Billy Hamilton laid a bunt down the third-base line that should have loaded the bases but Bryan De La Cruz broke for home and was alertly tagged out by Hayes.

Berti followed with an RBI single to right field to score Miguel Rojas to cut it to 4-3 and put Hamilton in scoring position at third. Aguilar tied the game with a line drive to center to score Hamilton.

“This is going to sound strange, but I think he threw too many strikes,” Shelton said, noting Bednar threw 12 of his 15 pitches for strikes. “He was just in the zone too much.”

The Pirates intentionally walked pinch hitter Luke Williams to load the bases and Brian Anderson grounded into a fielder’s choice to Cruz, whose throw forced Berti out at the plate. That brought Jesus Sanchez to the plate, only for Bednar’s pitch to get past Delay.

“That’s a tough play,” Shelton said. “You’re sliding away, making a throw back across your body. It’s got to be a perfect throw, it’s got to be a perfect catch and a tag so that’s a really challenging play.”

Where Marlins starter Pablo Lopez pitched four perfect innings, Brubaker gave up three hits and two walks in the first four. The momentum turned in the Pirates’ favor when they spun their way into turning two to end the fourth.

After settling for the forceout at second but failing to turn a double play on a Jesus Sanchez grounder, Josh VanMeter perfectly played a sharp grounder up the middle by Nick Fortes. VanMeter made a backhand stop behind the bag, spun and flipped a backhand toss to Cruz, who spun and fired to Yoshi Tsutsugo at first to complete a terrific 4-6-3 double play.

Cruz carried the momentum into the fifth, when he drew a leadoff walk to break up Pablo Lopez’s perfect game. Cruz then stole second base and scored when Ben Gamel broke up the no-hit bid when he hit a 2-2 changeup for a single to right and a 1-0 lead.

Gamel headed toward second but Avisail Garcia’s throw from right was cut off by Aguilar, who threw to shortstop Joey Wendle to put Gamel in a rundown before he was tagged out at first by Jon Berti. Jack Suwinski drew another walk — Lopez allowed only one hit but gave up four freebies — but was caught attempting to steal second.

Relying on his sinker and slider while mixing in a curveball, Brubaker retired 10 consecutive Marlins over the final three innings. He was at his most efficient in the sixth inning, which required only six pitches to sandwich two groundouts around a fly out to center. After getting two more groundouts in the seventh, he got Fortes swinging at a 93 mph sinker for his 15th swing and miss and ninth strikeout.

Brubaker also fell a strikeout shy of his career high (10 on May 17 at the Chicago Cubs), while matching his career high in innings pitched. His seven-inning performance came two nights after Mitch Keller did so Monday night, marking the first time since Sept. 22-24, 2020, that the Pirates had starters (Steven Brault and Chad Kuhl) throw seven or more innings in a single series.

“I think he found himself in a groove and a really good rhythm,” Shelton said, “and went right after guys and didn’t get a lot of hard contact.”

Brubaker’s start only made the ending harder for the Pirates to swallow.

“It’s definitely tough,” Brubaker said. “Losses hurt, no matter what. But we were there, got ahead and things happened and (we went to) extras. It’s baseball. Things happen. So this one definitely hurts.”