The Rockies went from absolute zeroes to multiple heroes in their 10-4 victory over the Pirates on Wednesday night at PNC Park.
The biggest hero of all was birthday boy Mickey Moniak, who finished a single short of the cycle and drove in five runs to celebrate his 28th.
For the first four innings, Colorado failed to reach base against Pittsburgh right-hander Mitch Keller. A repeat of Tuesday’s game, in which Paul Skenes flirted with a no-hitter and dominated the Rockies for eight scoreless innings, seemed to be in the offing.
Nope. The Rockies pounded Keller for six runs on six hits in the fifth to blow open the game. The Rockies (17-26) Colorado snapped a six-game losing streak at PNC Park dating back to May 3, 2024.
Key moments: Colorado’s six-run fifth opened with five consecutive hits and included an RBI double by Jake McCarthy. The biggest hit of the inning was Moniak’s three-run, two-out homer. It was Moniak’s 12th homer of the season.
Who’s hot: Moniak celebrated his B-day by generating his seventh game with multiple extra-base hits this season. No one in the majors has more. Moniak doubled in the eighth and hit a two-run triple in the ninth.
Rookie first baseman TJ Rumfield, who’s making an early case for National League Rookie of the Year, hit a solo home run in the eighth (his sixth) and stroked a double in the sixth (his seventh). His 21 RBIs rank second on the team to Moniak’s 26.
Right-handed reliever Antonio Senzatela gave up his first homer of the season, but he gave the Rockies three innings, walked none, and has a 1.32 ERA.
Who’s not: Leadoff hitter Edouard Julien is in a funk. He went 0 for 3 with a strikeout for the second straight night, and his average is down to .252. After hitting 2 for 18 with nine strikeouts on the last homestand, Julien is 1 for 10 on the current road trip.
Worth noting: The Rockies’ Jake McCarthy pulled off the first unassisted double play by a left fielder in franchise history. In the Pirates’ first inning, Oneil Cruz was perched on second base with one out. Bryan Reynolds lined out to McCarthy, who raced in to make the catch and continued running to the second-base bag to double up Cruz.
Pitching probables
Thursday: Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (3-2, 3.35 ERA) at Pirates RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (2-3, 4.50 ERA), 10:35 a.m.
Friday: Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (2-3, 7.72) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-4, 6.00), 6:40 p.m.
Saturday: Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 2.25) at Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (3-3, 4.07), 1:10 p.m.
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM
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