MIAMI -- Chris Stratton heard the same joke all day.
"Starter Strat."
Making his first start since April 2019 when he was with the Angels, Stratton served as the opener for the Pirates Tuesday against the Marlins at loanDepot Park. He, Dillon Peters, Tyler Beede, Wil Crowe and David Bednar would end up combining for a five-hit performance where they were in control almost the entire night, leading to a 3-2 Pirates win.
That's four straight wins now for the Pirates, their longest streak since Sept. 2019.
"Stratton set the tone tonight, and all the way to Bednar closing the door, that was a lot of fun," Peters said. "We're all pulling for each other down there, because we know there's going to be quite a few of us throwing. Today was a fun day to be a bullpen member.”
Stratton talked to Peters before the game for advice since he had been an opener before. Peters said to keep his routine the same, which is why Stratton still warmed up in the bullpen like he normally would shortly before entering the game.
Taking the ball in what Roansy Contreras' spot in the rotation would be, Stratton went 2 1/3 and was charged with one earned run after handing the ball over to Peters with two men on. Peters got through the fifth, and from there, Beede went two to get to the leverage guys in the back of the bullpen.
It was a return to the early season hybrid pitcher strategy that saw Peters get an extended look in his first game back from the injured list.
"That was about as well as we could script it,” Derek Shelton said. “Getting Peters the window and getting him through, and then with where Beede came into the game, I don't think we could have scripted it any better."
On the year, Pirates relievers have thrown the third-most innings in baseball (362 2/3), and they are currently in the middle of a stretch of 14 games in 13 days to close out the first half of the regular season. Trusting the bullpen to cover nine innings was almost a necessity since Bryse Wilson was not eligible to be called up again and the team wanted to work through some coaching points with Miguel Yajure in the minors.
Following Mitch Keller's seven inning performance Monday, the bullpen was able to match his five-hit performance.
"I think we’ve been throwing the ball well all the way around, starting as well," Stratton said. "I think they’ve kind of set the tone, and the relievers have kind of picked it up. A lot of us down there are former starters. We know how hard it is to go down there and roll through a lineup two, maybe three, times, so just trying to do the best we can to give the ball to Bednar at the end."
And as for that long stretch of games before the breather?
"We're just taking it day by day," Crowe said. "That's all we can do. I think every team's going to have a brutal stretch this year with it being pushed back a bit early on, so just take the punches as they come. Us out there, we're taking it day-by-day, and I think that's what the whole team is doing, just keep trying to play good ball and keep winning."
MARLINS
Jacob Stallings is awarded the Rawlings Gold Glove alongside his 2021-22 managers, Don Mattingly and Derek Shelton.
• Before we get into the game: Jacob Stallings officially received his Gold Glove Tuesday, with Shelton and bullpen catcher Jordan Comadena on the field on the Pirates' side. Comadena was the coach Stallings went rogue with in 2019 to become one of the game's best pitch framers. He was also the person who told me during spring training 2020, when there were serious doubts if Stallings could be a starter, that Stallings could one day win a Gold Glove.
He was right. And a tip of the cap to Stallings.
• Peters knew coming into the game that he was probably going to be asked to go multiple innings. He did just that and came out of the gate hot, attacking hitters like he hadn't experienced a layoff.
"It felt good," Peters said. "I worked hard while I was injured and hope to keep it rolling."
He allowed one earned run on two hits over 2 2/3 innings, striking out three on 41 pitches.
Having not pitched in a game since June 1 because of a back injury, Peters was still often seen in the Pirates' clubhouse while he was on the injured list.
"I think that helped tremendously," Peters said. "Duane [Underwood Jr.] and I were talking about it while we were in Altoona [rehabbing], just watching the full game and going out for BP and making it a full day instead of just the rehab day. That matters."
• To make room for Peters, Eric Stout was optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis.
• Jake Marisnick is having himself a series, homering for the second straight day to give the Pirates a quick 1-0 lead in the third. He has as many total bases this series (10) as he did before he hit the injured list.
"Whatever brace they put in or whatever they talked about in Indy, we need to make sure they continue," Shelton joked. "I think that we were able to stretch him out and give him a long [stretch of] at-bats [during his rehab assignment] was really important."
• Oneil Cruz provided the rest of the Pirates' offense, tripling home Diego Castillo with two outs in the fifth before coming home on a Jason Delay bloop.
His best play of the game, though, ended up not counting because it reversed upon a review. But this grab and on-target throw from the hole on a Brian Anderson grounder was close to being one of the best defensive plays by a Pirate all year:
"It was a heck of a play," Shelton said. "The thing I liked most about that play is the fact that he was smart enough to use the turf. This is a guy that's probably got one of the best shortstop arms in the game. He had to leave his feet, he realized where he's at, and instead of coming up trying to air-mail it, he used the turf. That's a really good sign for a young player."
• Make that four straight wins for the Pirates, their longest winning streak since 2019.
"Winning is fun," Stratton said. "You can try to manufacture that however you want, but when you win, that’s when you have the most fun. I think we’re a tight knit group and we’ve had some ups and downs this year, but hopefully, we can keep on a roll."
"We're playing good ball," Crowe said. "We're pitching it well, we're hitting it well, we're playing defense. We're doing all the things right. So it's good to be a little hot and take it into the All-Star break and see what happens."
THE ESSENTIALS
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: OF Bryan Reynolds (right oblique)
• 60-day injured list: OF Canaan Njigba-Smith (wrist), OF Greg Allen (hamstring), RHP Blake Cederlind (UCL), RHP Nick Mears (elbow surgery) RHP Max Kranick (elbow), C Roberto Pérez (hamstring)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Kevin Newman, 2B
2. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
3. Michael Chavis, 1B
4. Yoshi Tsutsugo, DH
5. Diego Castillo, RF
6. Jack Suwinski, LF
7. Jake Marisnick, CF
8. Oneil Cruz, SS
9. Jason Delay, C
And for Don Mattingly's Marlins:
1. Joey Wendle, SS
2. Jon Berti, 2B
3. Garrett Cooper, 1B
4. Jesús Aguilar, DH
5. Bryan De La Cruz, LF
6. Jesús Sanchez, CF
7. Brian Anderson, 3B
8. Miguel Rojas, 1B
9. Nick Fortes, C
THE SCHEDULE
JT Brubaker (2-8, 4.34) will try to make it five Pirates wins in a row Wednesday, taking on Pablo Lopez (6-4, 2.91) at 6:40 p.m.
THE CONTENT
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