It took until 67 games into the 2017 season, but the Colorado Rockies have finally lost a road series. With a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, Colorado’s 12th road series of the year will be their first one with a losing record. Entering the three game series, in which Colorado now trails two games to none, Colorado was a cool 9-0-2 in series away from Coors Field. The two losses paired with a loss to the Cubs on Sunday in Chicago combine to make Colorado’s first three-game road losing streak of the season. Now, they’ll try and salvage the final game of the series with Pittsburgh before heading home.
Just as it did on Monday night, the offense struggled against Pirates pitchers. Gerrit Cole (4-6, 4.54 ERA) pitched seven innings of three-hit baseball, allowing one run while striking out three and walking three. Colorado’s only offense against Cole came in the fifth inning when Trevor Story drew a walk and Tony Wolters drove him in with a single to the left-centerfield gap. The Rockies scratched out another run against Felipe Rivero in the ninth inning, courtesy of Story, but it was too little too late. Story drove Mark Reynolds home to cut the deficit to three before Pat Valaika grounded out to end the game.
Tyler Chatwood gave the offense a chance, holding the Pirates to just one run over his six innings pitched. He scattered six hits, with an Andrew McCutchen solo home run producing the only Pittsburgh offense before Chatwood turned things over to the bullpen. Adam Ottavino (0-1, 3.13) also gave up a home run, and it proved to be the difference in the game. John Jaso drove the second pitch he saw from Ottavino out of the park for a pinch-hit, two-run home run to give Pittsburgh a lead in the bottom of the seventh. Jordan Lyles gave up a two-run shot of his own, also to McCutchen, in the eighth to put things out of reach.
Colorado will try and salvage the final game of the series on Wednesday evening before returning to Coors Field for a seven-game home stand against NL West foes San Francisco and Arizona. The Rockies are now 24-13 on the road this season and still own the most road wins in baseball. German Marquez (4-3, 4.44) will try and right the ship for Colorado against Chad Kuhl (1-5, 5.63).
