Stallings comes through again as Pirates top Marlins in 12 innings

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates had to wait a lot longer than they wanted to celebrate, but they wound up notching one of their more stirring wins of the season.

Jacob Stallings’ run-scoring single in the bottom of the 12th inning lifted the Pirates to an 8-7 victory over the Miami Marlins on Saturday at PNC Park. Stallings’ fifth career walk-off hit ended a game that had numerous twists and turns in the late innings.

Stallings’ liner to center field with one out scored automatic runner Adam Frazier from third base. Frazier had moved to third on Ke’Bryan Hayes’ flyout to deep center field, and Miami manager Don Mattingly decided to intentionally walk Bryan Reynolds to get to Stallings.

The catcher foiled that strategy with his hit off Adam Cimber (1-2)

“I mean I really don’t have an explanation for it,” Stallings said of his penchant for late-game heroics. “I think the game is most enjoyable for me when it’s just about competing and trying to win, and it’s very easy to get internal with your thoughts in a random at-bat in the fourth inning or something like that.

“But I think the most fun part about the game is competing and trying to win, so maybe that’s it. But, no, I really don’t have much of an answer for you.”

After the Marlins scored a run in the ninth inning off closer Richard Rodriguez to tie the score at 6-6 and force extra innings, both teams traded sacrifice flies in the 10th: Isan Diaz for Miami and Gregory Polanco for the Pirates.

Neither team scored in the 11th.

The Pirates had pulled ahead 6-5 with an improbable four-run rally in the eighth inning that consisted of two hits, two walks, a hit by a pitch and an error.

However, the Marlins knotted the score it in the ninth on Jesus Aguilar’s RBI single. It was Aguilar’s fourth hit of the game and pinned Rodriguez with his second blown save in nine opportunities.

With the Pirates down three runs in the eighth, Hayes led off with a double, and Reynolds walked. Two outs later, Polanco hit an infield single to load the bases.

Kevin Newman then walked on a 3-2 count to force home a run. Rookie Ka’ai Tom forced in another run when he was hit by a pitch, and the Pirates were within one at 5-4.

Pinch-hitter Michael Perez hit a grounder to the right side of the infield. Aguilar, the first baseman, fielded the ball and threw to first base where pitcher Anthony Bender was covering. However, Bender missed the throw, and the tying and go-ahead runs scored.

“We were fortunate, but the one thing about it is we put the ball in play, and when you put the ball in play, anything can happen,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I think we saw it in that situation.”

Clay Holmes (2-0) pitched a scoreless 12th for the win.

The runs charged to Rodriguez and Kyle Crick were the only two allowed by the bullpen in seven innings. Sam Howard and Mars’ David Bednar also had scoreless outings.

Bednar was in line for his first major league win until Rodriguez couldn’t nail the game down.

Saturday’s extra-inning game coupled with starter Mitch Keller leaving on Friday after two innings because of a heat-related illness meant the bullpen had to cover 14 innings in barely than 24 hours.

“The last two days doesn’t even count. It’s been all year for our bullpen,” Crick said. “These guys are dogs. They grab the ball, and they got for it. They want that bowl, and they’re not letting go of it.”

The Pirates (23-34) have won the first three games of the four-game series following a stretch of 12 losses in 15 games. The Marlins (24-33) have lost eight in a row.

Starter Chase De Jong gave up three home runs, putting the Pirates in a three-run hole.

Making his second start since being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis last Sunday, De Jong took a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning before the Marlins began a home run barrage.

Aguilar led off the inning with a shot into the left-field bleachers, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a towering two-run homer with one out that just cleared the Clemente Wall in right field. That put the Marlins ahead 3-2.

In the fifth, Jorge Alfaro extended that lead to 5-2 but hitting a two-run blast to the shrubbery beyond the center-field fence with two outs.

De Jong allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings while striking out five and walking one. In his Pirates’ debut, he held the Colorado Rockies to one run in five innings.

Frazier gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a two-run opposite-field single to left with two outs. He became the first major league player to reach 75 hits this season.

The series concludes at 1:05 p.m. Sunday with Chad Kuhl (0-2, 6.41) pitching for the Pirates against Sandy Alcantara (2-5, 3.68).