PITTSBURGH (AP) — Charlie Blackmon got three extra-base hits and keyed a two-run rally in the ninth inning that sent the Colorado Rockies past the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 on Sunday.
Blackmon hit two doubles and a triple as the Rockies ended a five-game losing streak. They were shut out in both games of a doubleheader against Pittsburgh on Saturday.
After Pirates closer Richard Rodriguez (3-1) walked Ryan McMahon with one out in the ninth, Blackmon hit an RBI double off the wall in center field to make it 3-all.
Blackmon scored the go-ahead run on a two-out single from Matt Adams.
Blackmon led off the eighth with a double before Kyle Crick walked in a run with two out. Blackmon’s triple in the fourth tied it at 1.
Daniel Bard (3-3) struck out three in the final two innings.
Pittsburgh took a 3-1 lead after Kyle Freeland walked the bases loaded in the fourth. Gregory Polanco scored on an infield single by Ka’ai Tom and Adam Frazier had an RBI grounder.
Pirates starter Chase De Jong allowed one run on three hits in five innings, striking out five in his season debut. The right-hander was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis, where he was 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA in four starts.
Freeland lasted four innings for the Rockies, giving up three runs on five hits and four walks in his second start since sustaining a left shoulder strain in spring training.
Frazier, the major league hits leader with 68, opened the scoring for the Pirates with a double in the third.
ROSTER MOVES
Rockies: LHP Lucas Gilbreath was returned to Triple-A Albuquerque after serving as the 27th man on the roster in the doubleheader Saturday.
Pirates: RHP JT Brubaker was placed on the bereavement List. A player on the list must miss at least three games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes is tracking well in is rehab stint with Indianapolis, general manager Ben Cherington said. The highly touted prospect has been out with left wrist discomfort since facing the Cubs on April 3, when he sustained the injury on a foul swing in his only at-bat of Pittsburgh’s second game this season.
UP NEXT
Rockies: RHP German Márquez (3-5, 4.47) will take the mound Tuesday, when Colorado heads home to open a three-game series against the Texas Rangers.
Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (0-1, 6.32) is expected to return from a shoulder injury and start Monday in the first of two games against the Royals in Kansas City, Cherington said. His last start came April 18 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
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