Hot bats, stout bullpen help Bucs win second straight

Duane Underwood Jr. and Chris Stratton preserved the win out of the bullpen for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night, while Adam Frazier and Ke’Bryan Hayes combined for five RBIs to help push the Bucs past the Marlins, 9-2, at PNC Park.

Hayes led off the game’s scoring with a two-run home run to center field in the first inning; one that sent his father, Charlie, on a trip of euphoria in the stands.

Miami strived for two runs in the second off Bucs’ starter Mitch Keller - who left the game after the inning with an undisclosed injury - but Pittsburgh made them up in the third and fourth frames.

The Pirates would seal the game in the sixth inning after plating five runs across to give them a seven run advantage. Adam Frazier brought home Erik Gonzalez to ignite the monster inning; Hayes drove home Ben Gamel on a sharp line drive to left; Bryan Reynolds doubled in Frazier; and Jacob Stallings capped off the inning with a two-run single to ex-Pirates Corey Dickerson in left.

On the mound, Underwood took over for Keller in the third and allowed two runs on as many hits. Chasen Shreve earned his second hold of the year while bringing his season ERA to under four after 1.1 innings of scoreless middle relief. Chris Stratton took over and provided 3.2 innings of perfect baseball.

Stratton struck out two and was credited with his second save of the year.

The Pirates are 2-0 to start off the homestand and improve to 22-34 on the year. Both teams return to PNC Park for game three tomorrow afternoon.

First pitch is slated for 4:05 p.m., and Chase De Jong gets the nod for the Bucs. NL Rookie of the Year candidate, Trevor Rogers, will oppose him for Miami.