Nothing dramatic. Just steady, relentless accumulation. The Pittsburgh Pirates added runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, built an 8-1 lead, and then held on as Colorado made things uncomfortable late. Final score: Pittsburgh 8, Colorado 6.
Bryan Reynolds was the engine of the Pittsburgh offense, going 2-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBI. His three-run blast to right in the seventh — 433 feet, with Spencer Horwitz and Brandon Lowe scoring ahead of him — turned a manageable deficit into an insurmountable one. Reynolds carries a .283 average with 11 home runs and 51 RBI on the season. Nick Gonzales added a 2-for-4 effort with a home run and 2 RBI, while Jake Mangum went 3-for-4 with an RBI double.
The turning point came in the fourth. Gonzales homered to left center — 431 feet — with Reynolds scoring on the play, giving Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead it would never relinquish. That was the go-ahead swing. From there, Jared Triolo's RBI double in the fifth made it 3-1, Tyler Callihan singled home Gonzales in the sixth, and Jake Mangum's double brought Callihan home to push the lead to 5-1 before Reynolds's three-run shot in the seventh put the game at 8-1.
Colorado starter Michael Lorenzen absorbed the damage, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits over 5.1 innings with 5 strikeouts and a walk on 90 pitches. He carries a 7.11 ERA and a 2-8 record on the season. The Rockies did not go quietly — TJ Rumfield's three-run homer to right center in the eighth pulled Colorado to 8-4, and the ninth brought two more runs, including Karros scoring on a throwing error by second baseman Lowe. But Pittsburgh's bullpen held the final margin.
Colorado had entered the game having won two straight, and the late rally showed some fight, but the Pirates' early and sustained scoring proved too much to overcome. Pittsburgh fell to 38-39 with the win, dropping their second straight. Colorado slipped to 30-47.