Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Jason Delay, left, congratulates relief pitcher Kyle Nicolas after a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
DENVER (AP) — Jared Triolo had two hits and two RBIs, Jason Delay had a three-run double, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 8-2 on Sunday.
Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds singled in the seventh to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest active streak in the majors.
Four Pittsburgh pitchers combined to hold Colorado a pair of runs a day after the Rockies scored 16 for just the second time since 2018. They had three home runs and 10 extra-base hits on Saturday night. They finished with nine hits on Sunday.
“Their bats caught fire (Saturday),” Pirates starting pitcher Josh Fleming said. “(Delay) called a great game, Carmen (Mlodzinski) came in and got the huge double play, the huge rollover, kind of saved me there.”
Mlodzinski (1-2) got the victory with two innings of shutout relief.
“The biggest thing is we threw strikes,” manager Derek Shelton said. “We didn’t have a walk today. You cannot give up free bases in this ballpark or they come back to haunt you.”
Andrew McCutchen had a single for the Pirates but his streak of consecutive games with a home run at Coors Field was snapped at five. Oneil Cruz singled and doubled in his return to the lineup after missing two games with ankle soreness.
Pittsburgh got a run in the second on Jack Suwinski’s RBI single and squandered a chance to add to it in the fourth when Nick Gonzales was thrown out at third trying to execute a double steal.
The Pirates padded their lead with two outs in the sixth off starter Dakota Hudson (2-9) and reliever Victor Vodnik. Triolo had a two-run single and Delay cleared the bases with a three-run double, his first hit of the season.
“That span of four hitters really was the determining factor in the game,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “Two outs, guys on second and third in a one-run game in the sixth inning. (Vodnik) hung a breaking ball, guy bounced it up the middle, and then the walk. They put the ball in play and found holes and the backbreaker was the double.”
Colorado averted the shutout when Jake Cave beat out a relay to avoid a double play, allowing Jacob Stallings to score from third. Nolan Jones, who had three hits, added an RBI single in the ninth.
Hunter Goodman, who had two home runs and five RBIs in Saturday night’s 16-4 win, crushed a pitch just foul of the pole in left field, a call that held up on a crew chief review.
“Good teams take pride in bouncing back from losses like Saturday night,” Triolo said. “We came in today with a plan to do so.”
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Paul Skenes (3-0, 2.43 ERA) opens a three-game home series against Cincinnati on Monday night.
Rockies: RHP Cal Quantrill (6-4, 3.30) will face James Paxton (6-1, 3.92) to open a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday Night.
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Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon, right, tags out Pittsburgh Pirates' Nick Gonzales as he tries to return to third base after being caught in a rundown as third base umpire DJ Reyburn looks to make the call in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies' Charlie Blackmon doubles against Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Josh Fleming in the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies second baseman Adael Amador, left, tags out Pittsburgh Pirates' Jack Suwinski as he tries to steal second base in the second inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz pulls in a pop fly off the bat of Colorado Rockies' Adael Amador in the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Geoff Hartlieb, center, is flanked by his 3-year-old son, Crew, left, and 6-month-old son, Baker, as players and their children line up for the playing of the national anthem before a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Josh Fleming works against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies' Jake Cave grounds out against Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Josh Fleming in the second inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Jack Suwinski follows the flight of his RBI single against Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Dakota Hudson in the second inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
