Preview: Can Pirates Get Hot Late?

The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to win their third in a row and sixth game this season against the Miami Marlins.

Nathaniel Marrero

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz (15) celebrates his solo home run with designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz (15) celebrates his solo home run with designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at PNC Park. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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Paul Skenes made history in the Pittsburgh Pirates' 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Monday night at PNC Park.

Now, Pittsburgh will look to build on its momentum en route to a third straight victory when the two teams square off again on Tuesday.

Skenes set the Pirates' rookie record for strikeouts in a season with his first punch out of the game. The strikeout was his 143rd of the season and broke a record that was set in 1900 for the Pirates. The 6-foot-6 right-hander pitched six innings and allowed six hits, one run, walked one batter and struck out nine batters.

For the season, Skenes is now 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP and has struck out 151 batters in 120 innings pitched.

Oneil Cruz opened the scoring with a 444-foot solo home run, which accounted for the Pirates' only earned run. An error by Xavier Edwards gave the Pirates after chance after what should have been the end of the second inning, and they capitalized with a two-run single from Bryan Reynolds.

The Pirates nearly blew another lead, as an RBI double from Cristian Pache made it a one-run game and put runners on second and third with two outs in the ninth inning. Aroldis Chapman escaped the jam when he got Nick Fortes to fly out to end the game and give the hard-throwing lefty his seventh save of the season.

The Pirates' pitching staff finished the night with 14 strikeouts. Pittsburgh also improved to 5-0 on the season against the Marlins.

Pittsburgh will turn to Carmen Mlodzinski with a chance to win the series. Mlodzinski is 2-5 with a 3.73 ERA across 31 appearances. He's been the opener in three games for Pittsburgh this season and has allowed just one run in 3.2 innings. The Pirates right-hander hasn't opened a game since June June 21.

Miami will counter with Adam Oller. Oller has started just four games for the Marlins this season and is 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA. He made his first start of the year on Aug. 19 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Pirates vs. Marlins Broadcast Info

Location: PNC Park
Records: Pirates (68-76), Marlins (54-90)
First pitch : 6:40 p.m. ET
TV: Pirates - SportsNet-PIT — Marlins - Bally Sports Florida
Radio: Pirates - KDKA-FM 93.7 — Marlins - FOX Sports 940AM (WINZ), WAQI 710

Pirates vs. Marlins Betting Odds via SI

Spread: Pirates -1.5 (+140), Marlins +1.5 (-175)
Total: Over 8.5 (-137), under 8.5 (+110)
Moneyline: Pirates -150, Nationals +120

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Nathaniel Marrero

NATHANIEL MARRERO

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