Pittsburgh Pirates' Travis Snider drives in the go-ahead run with a double off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Matt Belisle during the eighth inning Friday night. The Pirates won 4-2.

PITTSBURGH — Travis Snider is no longer a regular in the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup. The arrival of Gregory Polanco in June means right field is no longer an option for Snider — or anybody else — for the next six years.

Relegated to part-time status, Snider isn’t sulking. He’s thriving.

Snider’s major league-leading 11th pinch hit of the season, a sinking liner off Matt Belisle, in the eighth scored Neil Walker and sparked the Pirates to a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.

“When you don’t see (reserves) on the bench, we’re not hanging out eating sunflower seeds, we’re actually doing something,” Snider said. “We really just try to feed off each other in that sense and have a routine you can stick with it.”

Coming through is becoming routine for Snider, who is 11 for 39 (.282) as a pinch hitter.

“One of the things we continue to talk about with all the pinch hitters is ... there’s no downside,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “You’re trying to perform one of the toughest acts in the game and he’s gotten to a good place with it.”

All-Star reliever Tony Watson (6-1) picked up the win with a scoreless eighth inning. Mark Melancon got Troy Tulowitzki, representing the tying run, to ground out to third to end it for his 17th save.

Starling Marte tripled and drove in two runs before leaving late in the game shortly after taking a fastball to the head. Hurdle called the decision to remove Marte “precautionary” and he will be re-evaluated on Saturday.

Charlie Culberson and Corey Dickerson had two hits apiece for the Rockies but Colorado’s bullpen couldn’t give starter Jorge De La Rosa his fifth consecutive victory. The Rockies left 11 runners on base while losing their third straight.

“We couldn’t put it away,” manager Walt Weiss said. “We got a few big outs there but the final analysis is we weren’t able to put that game away.”

Walker singled to lead off the bottom of the eighth and moved to third on Gaby Sanchez’s single to center. Snider followed with a hard drive that Gonzalez couldn’t track down, the low point on a night the slugger also struck out five times.

Pittsburgh starter Francisco Liriano worked five innings as he tries to bounce back from a difficult first half in which he managed just one win in 15 starts and spent a month on the disabled list with a back injury. Liriano allowed one run on three hits, walking three and striking out eight.