Marlins beat the Pirates 8-3 for their 6th straight victory

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Owen Caissie had a two-run double to cap a four-run seventh inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-3 on Friday night for their sixth straight victory.

Sandy Alcantara (6-4) won for the third time in three starts in June, working eight innings. He gave up three runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking one.

Tied at 2 going into the seventh, the Marlins scored four runs off reliever Wilber Dotel (1-2). Xavier Edwards brought home the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly, Heriberto Hernandez had an RBI single and Caissie broke it open with his double off the fence in center.

Liam Hicks added a two-run home run in the eighth off Antoine Kelly, who was making his major league debut, to make it 8-2. Hicks finished 3 for 4 with a double and three runs.

Endy Rodriguez homered and doubled for the Pirates, who lost for the sixth in seven games. Brandon Lowe went deep in the bottom of the eighth after the Pirates had fallen behind by six runs.

The Pirates opened the scoring in the third when Rodriguez hit a leadoff double and scored on Jared Triolo’s single.

The Marlins moved in front 2-1 in the fifth. Otto Lopez drove in one run with a groundout and Kyle Stowers followed with an RBI single. Rodriguez homered in the bottom of the inning to tie it.

Pirates starter Braxon Ashcraft allowed two runs in five innings.

Pirates rookie RHP Bubba Chandler (2-7. 4.91 ERA) was set to start Saturday. The Marlins had not announced a starter.

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Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough stands in the dugout before a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Miami Marlins' Otto Lopez (6) grounds out on a pitch from Pittsburgh Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft, allowing a run to score, during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Miami Marlins' Liam Hicks, right, celebrates with Javier Sanoja as he returns to the dugout after hitting a two-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Antwone Kelly during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Miami Marlins' Owen Caissie celebrates as he stands on second base after driving in two runs with a double off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Wilber Dotel during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Yordan Alvarez became the first player to hit a grand slam and multi-run homer in the first inning of a Major League Baseball game, pulling off the feat for the Houston Astros against the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

He became the eighth player to hit a grand slam and a multi-run homer in an inning and the first since Angels slugger Kendrys Morales did it against Texas in 2012, according to Sportradar.

The left-handed Alvarez drove in two runs with an opposite-field homer early in the inning and cleared the bases with a two-out shot to center, giving him six RBIs in Houston's nine-run inning.

Alvarez, the AL leader in homers, tied Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead at 24 with his two-homer inning.

The 28-year-old designated hitter, who is from Cuba, was the AL rookie of the year in 2019 with Houston. The three-time All-Star was the AL Championship Series MVP in 2021 and led the Astros with six RBIs the next year when they won the World Series.

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Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez watches his grand slam against the Athletics during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)