Oneil Cruz doubled and hit a two-run homer as the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied from an early deficit to beat the visiting Colorado Rockies 5-3 in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday.
Rowdy Tellez, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Jack Suwinski each drove in a run for Pittsburgh, which trailed 3-0 after two innings. The Pirates have won two straight following a five-game losing streak.
Pirates starter Bailey Falter allowed three runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. Luis Ortiz (2-1) followed with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Aroldis Chapman pitched the eighth inning before David Bednar worked around a two-out double in the ninth for his sixth save.
Jacob Stallings and Sean Bouchard hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning for Colorado, which dropped to a National League-worst 8-26. Bouchard, Elias Diaz and Brendan Rodgers each had two hits.
Colorado jumped on Falter for three runs in the second inning after hitting back-to-back homers for the first time this season. Stallings homered after Rodgers doubled with one out, and Bouchard followed with a solo shot.
Pittsburgh cut into the lead with a run in the fourth inning against Ryan Feltner (1-3). Hayes hit a one-out single, moved to third on Cruz’s double and scored on Tellez’s groundout.
The Pirates moved ahead with four runs on five hits in the sixth inning. Connor Joe hit a leadoff single, moved to third on Bryan Reynolds’ double and scored on Hayes’ groundout. Cruz followed with his second home run of the series, a two-out blast to center.
Tellez then doubled high off the right-field wall and scored on Suwinski’s two-out single.
Feltner gave up five runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out three with zero walks.
Colorado, which was attempting to win its first series this season, put the leadoff hitter on base in the eighth inning after Chapman walked Ryan McMahon. Chapman promptly picked off McMahon before striking out Diaz and Elehuris Montero.
–Field Level Media