PITTSBURGH — On the heels of a taxing bullpen game, the Pirates needed Bailey Falter to be efficient and provide a lengthy start.

All the left-hander did was cover his most innings in an outing since June 18, spinning 7 1/3 shutout frames while yielding only two hits in a 3-1 win against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday afternoon at PNC Park.

It was clear Falter's repertoire was in a good spot by the conclusion of the first inning. The southpaw struck out the side and came within one pitch of an immaculate inning, missing just low with one four-seam fastball.

That mistake was a relatively innocuous one and a rarity for Falter during the afternoon. It wasn't until the seventh inning that the Marlins produced their first hit against Falter, and they mustered just one more before he was yanked by manager Derek Shelton and serenaded with a standing ovation from the 10,252 on hand.

Ultimately, Falter walked three Marlins hitters and struck out five more. A trio of those punch-outs came courtesy of Falter's slider, all of them swinging.

Entering the contest, Falter was in a bit of a funk. He'd given up 18 earned runs across his previous 25 2/3 innings as his season-long ERA ballooned up to 4.45, the highest that figure had been since April 6.

But rather than continue to labor across the season's waning few weeks, Falter came through to put the finishing touches on a tremendously successful string of contests against the Marlins. Including the Pirates' season-opening sweep, the club went a perfect 7-0 versus the Marlins in 2024.

While Miami now sits 38 games under .500 and is well on its way to a 100-loss season, it was by no means a guarantee the Pirates would win a seventh straight against the NL East foe. Instead of turning to a beleaguered bullpen early, Shelton had the benefit of Falter exceeding all expectations as the Pirates coasted to victory.

On the mound

Falter finally ran into trouble in the eighth, giving up a leadoff single and then a scorching liner to center that Oneil Cruz made a smooth sliding snag on. He was relieved after Cruz's catch by right-hander Colin Holderman, who, despite hitting one batter, kept the Marlins scoreless.

David Bednar then got the ball in the ninth for his first save opportunity since August 23. The two-time All-Star couldn't quite get the job done, though, and instead gave way to left-hander Jalen Beeks to wrap up the victory.

At the plate

Once again, the Pirates got off to a quick start offensively. Oneil Cruz walked with the bases loaded in the first inning to score the game's first run, and Connor Joe doubled the Pirates' lead with a sacrifice fly in the ensuing at-bat.

Then, in second, Jared Triolo upped the Pirates' cushion to three with a solo shot. For Triolo, it was his eighth home run of the season and fourth since August 17. His .615 OPS on the year is the highest it's been since April 17.

Up next

Thursday: Off

Friday: Royals at Pirates, 6:40 p.m. ET, PNC Park

Probable pitchers: RHP Luis Ortiz (6-5, 3.26) for Pirates; TBA for Royals

Key matchup: American League MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. has cooled considerably in September, hitting just .229 with three extra-base hits this month. But Witt still leads all of MLB in hits by a wide margin.

Hidden stat: Andrew McCutchen is one of five active players, along with Giancarlo Stanton (13), Paul Goldschmidt (11), Freddie Freeman (11) and Bryce Harper (10), with 10 or more 20-home run seasons.

Saturday: Royals at Pirates, 1:05 p.m., PNC Park

Probable pitchers: RHP Mitch Keller (11-9, 3.85) for Pirates; TBD for Royals

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