The Colorado Rockies (37–93) look to avoid a sweep as they face the Pittsburgh Pirates (56–74) this afternoon at PNC Park in a battle between two teams at the bottom of their respective divisions.

The Rockies surprised earlier this week by splitting a four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, with standout performances by some of their young bats, including Warming Bernabel.

But they’ve lost three straight, including the first two games of this series to the Pirates. And today they face Pittsburgh’s ace Paul Skenes, who is having a Cy Young Award-caliber year, with a 2.16 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 154 innings.

Skenes, however, has had a couple of poor outings this month, including one in Colorado, in which he allowed four runs over five innings.

Taking the mound for the Rockies will be McCade Brown, who makes his MLB debut this afternoon, making the leap straight from AA, where he posted a 4-2 record with a 3.14 ERA, striking out 57 in 43 innings.

The Rockies have little to lose. And they’re using today’s game to audition Brown for next year’s roster.

Prediction

Expect Pittsburgh to ride Skenes and a consistent lineup to a sweep-clinching win.

Brown’s debut will be closely watched, but the Pirates’ experience gives them the edge. The Rockies’ bats can surprise — so they may be able to get to Skenes.

Final Prediction: Pirates 6, Rockies 3

Starting Lineups

Colorado Rockies

1. Tyler Freeman — 2B

2. Mickey Moniak — RF

3. Hunter Goodman — DH

4. Jordan Beck — LF

5. Brenton Doyle — CF

6. Ezequiel Tovar — SS

7. Warming Bernabel — 1B

8. Kyle Karros — 3B

9. Braxton Fulford — C

Pittsburgh Pirates

1. Ronny Simon — LF

2. Nick Gonzales — 2B

3. Bryan Reynolds — RF

4. Spencer Horwitz — 1B

5. Andrew McCutchen — DH

6. Jack Suwinski — CF

7. Jared Triolo — SS

8. Henry Davis — C

9. Isiah Kiner‑Falefa — 3B

How to Watch Rockies vs. Pirates

First pitch for this afternoon’s game between the Colorado Rockies and the Pittsburgh Pirates is set for 12:00 PM Eastern / 10:05 AM Mountain.

The game won’t air on SportsNet Pittsburgh or Rockies.TV. Instead, it will stream exclusively on The Roku Channel.

Watching is free, but you’ll need to create a Roku account if you don’t already have one. The game can be streamed through the Roku app on Roku devices and Roku TVs, as well as on Apple TV, Fire TV, Samsung TVs, and mobile devices.

Colorado Rockies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Sunday, August 24, 2025

Time: 12:05 PM Eastern (10:05 AM Mountain)

Venue: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

TV/Streaming: Roku