ROX BELT 6 HRS, TIP BUCS

Rosario, McKenry Each Go Deep Twice

DENVER, July 26 (AP) – The Colorado Rockies hit a season-high six home runs but still needed to rally late to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-8 at Coors Field.  Wilin Rosario and Michael McKenry each homered twice for the Rockies, whose previous single game club high for home runs was five, accomplished twice.  Ironically, given Coors Field’s reputation has a long ball haven, both of Colorado’s five-home run feats were accomplished on the road.  The six-homer game falls one short of the season’s major league high of seven; the Detroit Tigers turned the trick in an April 30 loss to the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

Each team scored twice in the first inning.  Josh Harrison led off the game with a double, the first of four hits on the day, and scored on Jordy Mercer’s single.  Mercer eventually came home on Russell Martin’s RBI base hit and the Pirates led 2-0.  But the Rockies immediately tied the game in the bottom of the frame.  With one out, Josh Rutledge tripled to right-center field off Pittsburgh starter Jeff Locke and then Nolan Arenado belted a two-run home run to left, the first of four long balls Locke would allow in the game.

The Pirates regained their two-run lead in the top of the second.  Locke led off by reaching on shortstop Rutledge’s throwing error and advanced to second on Harrison’s base hit.  Mercer’s slow roller to third moved the runners to second and third with one out and Andrew McCutchen’s double to center field scored both baserunners, putting Pittsburgh on top 4-2.

McKenry’s one-out solo shot in the fourth drew the Rockies to within a single run but the Pirates tallied twice more in the fifth.  Martin drew a two-out walk from Tyler Matzek and Gregory Polanco’s home run to the power alley in right-center made it 6-3.

The Rockies pulled back to within a single run in the sixth on solo home runs from Rosario and McKenry, but the Pirates got a run back in the top of the seventh when McCutchen walked, advanced to third when Brandon Barnes dropped pinch hitter Ike Davis’ fly ball for a two-base error and then scored on Neil Walker’s sacrifice fly.

In the bottom of the seventh, Colorado took the lead for the first time in the game against reliever Justin Wilson.  Charlie Blackmon led off the inning by cracking the fifth home run of the game for the Rockies, cutting the Pittsburgh lead to 7-6.  Rutledge and Arenado were retired routinely, but Rosario knotted the game by belting a 2-2 offering from Wilson into the bleachers down the left field line.  Drew Stubbs followed by tripling to the gap in right-center and, after McKenry was walked intentionally, Barnes dropped a single into center field, scoring Stubbs with the lead run.

The Pirates blew great chances to tie or take the lead in both the eighth and ninth innings.  Facing reliever Nick Masset in the top of the eighth, pinch hitter Travis Snider lined a lead-off single to right-center.  On a 3-2 pitch to Harrison Snider took off.  Harrison struck out—the only time he was retired in the entire game—but McKenry’s throw to second was wild, and Snider advanced to third with one out.  But with the infield in, Mercer rolled out to first base.  McCutchen was walked intentionally, bringing Davis to the plate.  Left-hander Rex Brothers came on for the Rockies and fanned Davis to end the inning.

After Colorado failed to score in the bottom of the eighth, LaTroy Hawkins came on for to close out the game for the Rockies in the top of the ninth.  Walker led off with a double to right-center and advanced to third on Martin’s fly out to right.  Polanco followed with another fly to Blackmon, but it was too shallow to score Walker.  Pedro Alvarez pinch hit for Brett Morel and the Rockies took a chance by walking him intentionally, putting the go-ahead run on base, but the strategy worked out Chris Stewart, pinch hitting in the pitcher’s spot, flied to Barnes in left to end the game.

7/26/2014, Pit14-Col14, Coors Field

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP

2014 Pirates           2  2  0  0  2  0  1  0  0     7 11  0    11  1

2014 Rockies           2  0  0  1  0  2  3  0  x     8 13  4     6  2

Pirates              AB  R  H BI   AVG    Rockies              AB  R  H BI   AVG

Harrison,J        lf  5  2  4  0  .346    Blackmon          rf  5  1  2  1  .264

Mercer            ss  5  1  1  1  .227    Rutledge          ss  4  1  1  0  .258

McCutchen,A       cf  2  1  1  2  .296    Arenado           3b  4  1  1  2  .278

Sanchez,G         1b  3  0  1  0  .134    Rosario           1b  4  2  3  2  .247

 Davis,I          ph  2  0  0  0  .226    Stubbs            cf  4  1  1  0  .252

Walker,N          2b  4  0  1  1  .254    McKenry           c   3  2  2  2  .241

Martin,R          c   3  1  1  1  .311    Barnes,B          lf  4  0  2  1  .269

Polanco,G         rf  3  1  1  2  .280    LeMahieu          2b  4  0  1  0  .226

Morel             3b  4  0  0  0  .250    Matzek            p   2  0  0  0  .150

 Alvarez,P        ph  0  0  0  0  .221     Ottavino         p   0  0  0  0  .000

Locke             p   3  1  0  0  .167     Culberson        ph  1  0  0  0  .189

 Wilson,Ju        p   0  0  0  0  .000     Brown,B          p   0  0  0  0  .000

 Snider           ph  1  0  1  0  .282     Masset           p   0  0  0  0  .000

 Watson           p   0  0  0  0  .000     Brothers         p   0  0  0  0  .000

 Stewart,C        ph  1  0  0  0  .310     Paulsen          ph  1  0  0  0  .333

                     36  7 11  7           Hawkins          p   0  0  0  0  .000

                                                               36  8 13  8

Pirates                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Locke                            6.0  9  5  5  1  5  92  61  5.61

Wilson,Ju        BS 2, L 1-1     1.0  4  3  3  1  1  29  17  2.23

Watson                           1.0  0  0  0  0  1  15  10  1.63

                                 8.0 13  8  8  2  7 136  88

Rockies                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Matzek                           5.1  9  6  5  3  0  96  62  5.30

Ottavino                         0.2  0  0  0  0  0   5   2  1.94

Brown,B          W 1-0           1.0  0  1  0  2  1  25   9  2.84

Masset           H 5             0.2  1  0  0  1  1  16   6  3.58

Brothers         H 15            0.1  0  0  0  0  1   3   3  6.96

Hawkins          S 28            1.0  1  0  0  1  0  18  11  1.79

                                 9.0 11  7  5  7  3 163  93

Pit: Davis,I batted for Sanchez,G in the 7th

     Davis,I moved to 1b in the 7th

     Snider batted for Wilson,Ju in the 8th

     Alvarez,P batted for Morel in the 9th

     Stewart,C batted for Watson in the 9th

Col: Culberson batted for Ottavino in the 6th

     Paulsen batted for Brothers in the 8th

E-Rutledge, Stubbs, McKenry, Barnes,B. 2B-Harrison,J(28), McCutchen,A(32),

Walker,N(12). 3B-Rutledge(4), Stubbs(2). HR-Polanco,G(5), Blackmon(11),

Arenado(11), Rosario 2(9), McKenry 2(5). RBI-Mercer(40), McCutchen,A 2(66),

Walker,N(46), Martin,R(38), Polanco,G 2(19), Blackmon(33), Arenado 2(53),

Rosario 2(31), McKenry 2(18), Barnes,B(8). SB-Snider(1). K-Harrison,J, Morel,

Davis,I, Rutledge, Stubbs, McKenry, Barnes,B, LeMahieu 2, Matzek.

BB-McCutchen,A 3, Martin,R, Polanco,G 2, Alvarez,P, Rutledge, McKenry.

SF-Walker,N. HBP-Martin,R. HB-Matzek. WP-Matzek.

GWRBI: Barnes,B

Temperature: 78, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 9 MPH.

Attendance: 49,615

Game Time: 2:59