As we reach July 2, 2025, the two hottest teams in Major League Baseball have a combined record of 75-95. Yet here we are, with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Miami Marlins playing some of their best baseball of the season.
Miami Marlins have won 8 straight
Somehow, some way, Clayton McCullough’s young Marlins have rattled off eight consecutive wins. Miami was in last place before this streak, but they’ve climbed to third in the National League East. They’ve even leapfrogged the Atlanta Braves in the standings. While the Marlins still sit 11 games behind the Phillies in the division, they’re now within single digits of a wild card spot — a promising turnaround for a team that looked buried just weeks ago.
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On Tuesday, the Marlins got another strong pitching performance in a 2-0 win over the Twins. Edward Cabrera improved to 3-2 with seven scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while striking out six. Ronny Henriquez closed it out with his fourth save. Offensively, Kyle Stowers hit his 14th home run of the season, which proved to be all the offense Miami needed.
The Marlins will finish their series with the Twins over the next two games, then host the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend.
Pittsburgh Pirates are winners of 5 in a row
The other streaking team is the Pittsburgh Pirates. Under first-year manager Don Kelly, the Pirates have started playing better baseball, even if they’re still at the bottom of the National League Central. Pittsburgh is 37-50, trailing fourth-place Cincinnati, who sits at 44-41.
Still, the Pirates have put together a five-game winning streak, taking down the Mets and Cardinals while allowing just four total runs during the stretch. The Cardinals have yet to score in the two games played so far in Pittsburgh.
Paul Skenes threw five scoreless innings on Tuesday, giving up five hits. While the Pirates often struggle to score for him, his ERA has dropped to 2.03 on the season. A late run in the eighth inning gave Pittsburgh the lead, and David Bednar shut the door in the ninth for his 12th save of the year.
The Pirates will look to complete the sweep of the Cardinals on Wednesday before heading to Seattle for a three-game weekend series against the Mariners.
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