Pirates salvage series with Rockies | News, Sports, Jobs

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Spencer Horwitz gestures as he circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Bradley Blalock in the second inning of a baseball game Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

DENVER — Spencer Horwitz homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 9-5 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, avoiding a series sweep.

Horwitz hit a two-run homer in the second inning, added a three-run shot in the sixth and knocked in his sixth run with a ground out in the eighth. The Pirates’ 27-year-old leadoff hitter has five homers and 31 RBIs in 61 games this season.

Nick Gonzales knocked in a run with an infield single in the first inning before Tommy Pham hit a two-run homer, his fifth, for Pittsburgh.

Pirates starter Mitch Keller (5-10) worked five innings and allowed seven hits and five earned runs.

Mickey Moniak (two RBIs), Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck (two RBIs) hit consecutive homers in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Rockies closed within 8-5.

Colorado starter Bradley Blalock (1-3) allowed seven earned runs on six hits in 5ª innings, with two strikeouts and four walks.

Key moment

The Rockies seemingly found some momentum in the third inning when Yanquiel Fernandez doubled. He jumped off the base when he got up from the slide, but was called safe. The Pirates challenged the call, which was overturned.

Key stat

Entering Sunday, Colorado had scored 21 runs in the fourth inning or later in the series. The Rockies scored one run in the fourth and four in the sixth in the loss.

Saturday’s game

Jordan Beck ended Paul Skenes’ scoreless streak with a three-run homer in Colorado’s six-run sixth inning, and the Rockies beat the Pirates 8-5 on Saturday.

Warming Bernabel continued his stellar start to his big-league career with two doubles and a single and Orlando Arcia homered for Colorado. Jaden Hill (1-0) picked up his first major league win for the Rockies, who withstood a three-homer day by Pittsburgh’s Liover Peguero.

Skenes hadn’t allowed a run in 18 straight innings before faltering in the sixth. Beck followed a leadoff single and walk with his 13th home run, and Bernabel’s double chased the NL All-Star starter.

Skenes allowed four runs and five hits while striking out eight in five-plus innings.

Braxton Ashcraft (3-2) came on and gave up three hits that put the Rockies ahead 6-4.

Skenes cruised through the first three innings before Beck singled with one out in the fourth and went to third on Bernabel’s double, but he escaped without giving up a run.

Peguero’s first two home runs — the first leading off the game and a three-run shot in the fifth — gave Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead. He added another solo shot with two outs in the ninth to cap his first multi-homer game of his career.

The game went into a rain delay for 1 hour, 4 minutes, before the start of the eighth.

Up next

The Pirates open a home series against San Francisco tonight. RHP Justin Verlander (1-8, 4.53 ERA) will start for the Giants. Pittsburgh is scheduled to start Johan Oviedo.