Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Brandan Bidois (77) meets with catcher Henry Davis, right, on the mound during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Philip G. Pavely)

PITTSBURGH — Max Meyer allowed one run in six innings, stranding nine runners in the Miami Marlins’ 4-2 victory over Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Meyer (7-0) gave up six hits, walked three and hit a batter, but he struck out nine.

Skenes (6-6), who fell to 0-4 in six starts since last winning on May 12, gave up home runs to Heriberto Hernández and Joe Mack in the second inning. The Pirates ace struck out 10, including the side in the fourth and sixth, and gave up four hits with one walk in six innings.

“I’ve dealt with it before,” Skenes said. “It’s a team sport. It’s just the nature of the game.”

The Pirates had scored just one run when Skenes exited the game.

“When you’re looking at it, we just haven’t been able to put a complete game together,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “Last year, it was maybe the run support. … I don’t think we can point to one thing that’s consistent throughout all of his starts.”

Miami, which took two of three games from Pittsburgh, has won seven of eight and 10 of 12 in June.

Hernández opened the scoring by sending a Skenes fastball 403 feet into the left-field bleachers. Mack drove a changeup 424 feet to center, putting the Marlins ahead 2-0.

The Pirates started the fourth with three straight singles, capped by Jake Mangum driving in Nick Gonzales. Meyer retired the next three batters, including strikeouts of Jared Triolo and Spencer Horwitz.

Meyer hit Tyler Callihan with a pitch to load the bases with two outs the following inning. Mangum then sent a sharp liner to right-center, but center fielder Jakob Marsee charged for a diving catch to rob a likely go-ahead double.

“That was multiple runs right there if (Marsee) doesn’t make the play,” Kelly said. “I thought that was the play of the game there.”

Pittsburgh had two runners in scoring position with two outs in the seventh before Calvin Faucher ended the threat with a strikeout of Callihan. It left on 11 total runners.

Kyle Stowers and Xavier Edwards pushed the lead to 4-1 with a pair of RBI singles off Brandan Bidois in the eighth.

Pete Fairbanks, who picked up his ninth save, struck out two in the ninth before surrendering a two-out homer to Bryan Reynolds.

Saturday’s game

Horwitz was hit by a pitch from Anthony Bender with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to bring in the go-ahead run and give the irates a 3-2 win over Miami on Saturday, ending the Marlins’ six-game win streak.

Bender (1-1) struck out the first two batters of the inning before surrendering singles to Callihan and Mangum and walking Triolo. On the first pitch following a mound visit, Bender hit Horwitz with a 97 mph sinker to bring home Callihan.

The Marlins, who had won nine of 10 in June, got a leadoff single from Otto Lopez and a walk to Edwards in their half of the eighth, but Yohan Ramírez (4-2) struck out the next three batters.

Gregory Soto gave up a leadoff single to Esteury Ruiz in the ninth before retiring three straight for his 10th save.

Ryan O’Hearn put Pittsburgh ahead in the first with a one-out single off Lake Bachar through the right side of the infield.

Liam Hicks tied it on a line-drive single with two outs in the third, but Reynolds gave the Pirates’ a 2-1 lead in the bottom half with an RBI double into the gap in left-center.

Reynolds robbed Hernández of a potential tying home run the following inning. Hernández had a called third strike overturned on a successful ABS challenge before sending the next pitch deep to left, backing Reynolds to the wall for a leaping grab.

Hernández tied it 2-all by dropping a single into left field with two outs in the sixth after Mason Montgomery relieved rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler, who allowed two runs on three hits with six strikeouts and one walk in 5ª innings.

Up next

Pirates: RHP Jared Jones (1-0, 4.73 ERA) starts Monday to open a three-game set at the Athletics against RHP J.T. Ginn (4-3, 3.15 ERA).