Suwinski, VanMeter hit 3-run HRs, Pirates beat Rockies 10-5

By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jack Suwinski hit a tying three-run home run in the sixth and Josh VanMeter followed with a three-run homer in the seventh to break open the game as the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied past the Colorado Rockies 10-5 on Wednesday.

Suwinski fueled Pittsburgh’s 10th comeback victory of the season by sending a pitch from Carlos Estévez into the first row of the right=field stands with two outs in the sixth to erase a three-run deficit. The drive increased Suwinski’s home run total to five, tops among National League rookies.

Ben Gamel gave the Pirates their first lead in the seventh with an RBI single off Justin Lawrence (1-1) and VanMeter followed two batters later with his third home run of the year to give the Pirates some breathing room as they won their second straight.

Dylan Peters (4-2) retired the last two batters in the seventh for the victory.

C.J. Cron hit his 12th home run for the Rockies to pull him into a tie for the National League lead with Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts. Randal Grichuk went 2 for 4 with a double and three RBIs for Colorado, which has lost 13 of 18 following a 15-10 start.

Rockies starter Ryan Feltner pitched five solid innings, allowing two runs, three hits and two walks and seven strikeouts. Feltner’s bid for his first major-league victory disappeared when the bullpen struggled to Pittsburgh’s scuffling offense in check.

The Pirates entered next-to-last in the majors in runs scored. They crossed the plate a season-high 10 times to claim a series for the first time since taking two of three from the Dodgers May 9-11.

The late surge seemed improbable early. Colorado tagged Pittsburgh starter Zach Thompson for four runs in three innings, including a two-run double by Grichuk’s and Cron’s shot well into the bleachers in left field.

TRAINER’S ROOM

ROCKIES: Placed OF Kris Bryant on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Monday with back soreness. This is Bryant’s second stint on the IL this season due to back issues. He missed nearly a month after initially tweaking the back in late April. He returned for two games against the New York Mets last weekend before behind held out of the lineup on for the first two games in Pittsburgh as a precaution.

Pirates: OF Jake Marisnick (thumb surgery) appears to be ahead of schedule in his rehab. Marisnick was cleared to resume baseball activities on Monday and will accompany the team on its trip. … SS Kevin Newman (groin) hit a setback with his left hamstring while on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis. There is no timetable for Newman’s return. He would have been eligible to come off the 60-day IL later this month.

UP NEXT

Rockies: Begin a four-game series against the Nationals in Washington on Thursday. Germán Márquez (1-4, 6.14 ERA) faces Patrick Corbin (0-7, 6.60) in the opener.

Pirates: Head west for a six-game trip that starts on Friday in San Diego. José Quintana (1-2, 2.43) and Sean Manaea (2-3, 4.04) meet in the opener.

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