Pittsburgh Pirates vs Colorado Rockies Match Player Stats On Jul 21, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Jul 22, 2017

DENVER -- After five successive comeback victories, the onrushing Pittsburgh Pirates avoided another down-to-the-wire ending and breathed easier Friday night.

They took advantage of Coors Field, revved up their offense and extended their season-high winning streak to six games by pounding the Colorado Rockies 13-5.

The Pirates have won nine of their past 10 games, 12 of their past 14 and have won nine of their past 10 games at Coors Field, dating back to July 27, 2014. The loss ended Colorado's four-game winning streak.

The Pirates scored in six innings, using a 17-hit attack to pile up four two-run innings and one three-run frame. The win left the surging Pirates two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and one game behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.

Josh Bell, who finished a homer shy of the cycle, had a career-high four hits and four RBIs for Pittsburgh. Jordy Mercer hit a two-run homer. Andrew McCutchen had three hits, three RBIs and scored three runs. Starling Marte had two hits and scored four runs.

Pirates starter Trevor Williams (4-4), facing the Rockies for the first time, allowed seven hits and five runs in 6 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs in the first after the Pirates had taken a quick 2-0 lead but then blanked the Rockies until Nolan Arenado hit his 22nd homer in the sixth. That blast increased Arenado's major league-leading RBI total to 81 but did little to affect the outcome, since the Pirates were leading 10-3 when Arenado came to bat.

The opportunistic Pirates drew six walks and four of those runners scored. They went 8-for-21 with runners in scoring position, stranded 12 runners and were never retired in order.

Entering Friday, the Pirates had scored no more than four runs in any of their five successive victories, winning three of those games by one run and two by two runs.

Mercer's two-run homer with two outs in the sixth boosted the Pirates' lead to 10-3. It was Mercer's ninth homer of the season and came against Jordan Lyles, who has yielded a home run in three straight outings and 11 in 44 2/3 innings this season.

The Pirates tacked on two runs in the seventh to make it 12-4. McCutchen singled home the first run, and the second scored on David Freese's ground out. Cervelli singled home the final Pittsburgh run in the eighth.

Rockies starter Jeff Hoffman (6-2) gave up a career-high nine hits and seven runs in a season-low three innings and allowed a career-high four walks. He left after facing three batters in the fourth and threw 82 pitches.

With two outs in the fifth, Andrew McCutchen singled to increase the Pirates' lead to 8-3. The Pirates hadn't scored eight runs in a game since June 19.

Hoffman lasted a season-low three innings and allowed career highs in hits (nine) and walks (four). He left after facing three batters in the fourth and threw 82 pitches.

Josh Harrison led off the fourth with a double, scoring to put the Pirates ahead 6-3 when McCutchen followed with a single. Josh Bell singled, sending McCutchen to third and taking second when left fielder Gerardo Parra bobbled the ball. Gregory Polanco hustled to first to avoid hitting into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. The effort netted a run to make it 7-3, but Polanco reached for his left hamstring after he crossed first base and left the game.

Bell's three-run double with two outs in the second gave the Pirates a 5-3 lead. The drive into the gap in right-center was the only hit of the inning and came after Hoffman walked pitcher Trevor Williams, hit Starling Marte with a pitch and walked McCutchen.

The Rockies wasted no time taking a 3-2 lead in their half of the first. Nolan Arenado singled home a run after Charlie Blackmon led off with a walk and DJ LeMahieu grounded a double just inside first base.

Gerard Parra followed Arenado with a single, and after Ian Desmond grounded into a double play, Arenado scored when Carlos Gonzalez flared a single to left in what became a 26-pitch inning for Trevor Williams.

The Pirates scored two runs in their half of the first while barely getting the ball to the outfield. Marte led off with a single to second and stole second. McCutcheon walked with one out. Bell grounded a single just to the right of a diving second baseman LeMahieu. And David Freese topped a ball that third baseman Arenado charged and barehanded but had no play on Freese.

Polanco lined a single to right that loaded the bases, but Hoffman got Francisco Cervelli to bounce into a double play.

NOTES: Pirates RF Gregory Polanco left in the fourth with left hamstring discomfort and is listed day-to-day. ... Pirates RHP Jhan Marinez's double in the eighth was his first major league hit. ... Rockies CF Charlie Blackmon's season- and career-high-tying 14-game hitting streak ended. ... Rockies pitchers hit a franchise-record tying four batters, which last happened April 24, 2005, against the Los Angeles Dodgers. ... Rockies RHP Tyler Chatwood (right calf strain) threw 35 pitches in two innings of live batting practice for the first time since he was injured July 15. ... Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado homered on three consecutive at-bats Wednesday against San Diego. The only other Rockies player to accomplish that feat is Andres Galarraga against the Padres on June 25, 1995. ... Pirates C Francisco Cervelli had hits in his past five at-bats before grounding into an inning-ending double play in the first.