Jack Suwinski, Bryan Reynolds, and Andrew McCutchen hit home runs, while Luis Ortiz pitched well for five innings in relief as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-2 on Friday night.
Ortiz (3-2) took over from opener Carmen Mlodzinski in the second inning and allowed seven hits during his stint.
Suwinski’s two-run homer in the seventh inning off Ryan Feltner (1-6) was pivotal, giving Pittsburgh a 4-1 lead. Manager Derek Shelton highlighted the impact of the home runs by Reynolds and McCutchen earlier in the game.
Charlie Blackmon contributed with a home run and two doubles for Colorado, who holds one of the worst records in Major League Baseball.
Feltner exited the game due to mid-back tightness after pitching six innings. Despite giving up solo homers to Reynolds and McCutchen, he kept Colorado close with key double plays in crucial moments.
The Rockies scored a run in the fifth inning on Ezequiel Tovar’s triple but missed out on another when a double play ended their chance to capitalize.
Pittsburgh added another run in the eighth inning when McCutchen doubled and Reynolds singled, extending Reynolds’ hitting streak to 12 games.
