The game was decided in the first inning. Pittsburgh scored three times in the opening frame and never looked back, defeating Colorado 7-2 at PNC Park.
Ryan O'Hearn went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs to lead the Pirates' 12-hit attack. The first baseman is hitting .299 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs this season. Oneil Cruz added a 1-for-5 effort with one RBI, while Spencer Horwitz contributed a double in his 1-for-4 performance.
The Pirates struck immediately in the first. Reynolds singled to left, scoring Cruz for a 1-0 lead. O'Hearn then homered to center field, a 413-foot blast that scored Reynolds and extended the advantage to 3-0. Pittsburgh added two more runs in the third when Rodríguez singled to center, scoring Griffin and O'Hearn.
Carmen Mlodzinski earned the victory with five innings of work, allowing two runs on four hits while walking three and striking out two. His ERA stands at 4.40. Chase Dollander took the loss for Colorado, surrendering three runs on five hits in just one inning of work. The Rockies managed only five hits against Pittsburgh pitching.
Pittsburgh snapped a one-game losing streak and improved to 23-20. Colorado, despite the loss, had won their previous game and fell to 17-26. Bryan Reynolds is eight games away from 1,000 career games played.