PITTSBURGH — Mired in a funk a quarter of the way into a season with high expectations, Clint Hurdle challenged his team to get its act together.

A week later, it appears the Pittsburgh Pirates were listening.

Jung Ho Kang capped a late rally with a two-run single and the Pirates ran their winning streak to six games with a 5-2 victory over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.

“For way too long we were a good team playing mediocre baseball, so you’re not a good team really,” Hurdle said. “You’ve got to connect the dots. You’ve got to put parts of the game in play.”

At the moment, they’re all firing for the Pirates, who won for the first time this season when trailing after six innings. Pittsburgh scored five times with two outs in the seventh off the Miami bullpen to extend its longest surge since it won nine straight in June, 2013.

“We’ve got our swag back out there,” catcher Chris Stewart said. “You can’t foresee it, but we’re as good as any team in baseball, especially the way we’re playing right now. We feel like we can keep it going.”

Josh Harrison and Pedro Alvarez added RBI singles while Starling Marte worked a rare bases-loaded walk. Gerrit Cole (7-2) struck out seven in seven efficient innings. Mark Melancon worked the ninth for his 12th save as Pittsburgh completed an eight-game homestand with a flourish.

“We start chipping away and put the pressure on them and that’s what it’s all about,” Stewart said.

The Pirates spent five innings getting handcuffed by Miami starter Brad Hand but jumped on relievers Mike Dunn and Sam Dyson (2-2).

Dunn retired the first two batters he faced in the seventh before Stewart singled. Pinch-hitter Jose Tabata then smacked a grounder to second base that deflected off Dee Gordon’s glove and into shallow center field.

Dyson took over for Dunn and promptly gave up a single to Harrison that brought Pittsburgh to 2-1. Pinch-hitter Alvarez beat the shift by slashing a single through the left side of the infield to tie the game. Andrew McCutchen walked to load the bases to set up Marte.

Usually free-swinging Starling Marte — who leads the Pirates in strikeouts — then worked the count full against Dyson and held off on a breaking ball that dipped out of the strike zone to force home Harrison and give the Pirates the lead. Kang lined a single over Gordon’s glove to push Pittsburgh’s advantage to 5-2.

“It was hard to take,” Marte said with a laugh. “I’ve been swinging at that pitch pretty much (all year).”

Not this time. When Kang followed with a liner over Gordon’s head the Pirates were two games over .500 and suddenly looking like the team that still expects to challenge St. Louis and improving Chicago in the NL Central.