Pirates beat Rockies 5-1 with 2-run home runs from McCutchen and Triolo

PITTSBURGH — Andrew McCutchen and Jared Triolo hit two-run home runs an inning apart to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night.

Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle spoiled the shutout with a ninth-inning home run.

McCutchen opened the scoring in the second with his 12th home run of the season, pulling it just inside the left-field foul pole.

Triolo hit his home run an inning later to make it 4-0. He added a triple in the fourth and scored on Bryan Reynolds’s double. The 2-for-4 game lifted his batting average above .200 for the first time this season, and he finished the day with a .205 average.

Doyle hit a two-out, solo home run. He entered with the third-highest OPS in baseball in August, behind Shohei Ohtani and Brice Turang .

Rookie Mike Burrows led the Pirates pitching staff with four shutout innings of two-hit, five-strikeout ball. He was pulled after 57 pitches.

Burrows underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2023, and has pitched more innings this season than any in his career since he was drafted out of high school in the 11th round in 2018.

Carmen Mlodzinski got the win with two shutout innings in relief of Burrows.

Colorado’s Kyle Freeland allowed five runs and seven hits over five innings. He struck out six.

McCutchen’s home run gave the Pirates a lead they never relinquished. It was his first since Aug. 1, which also came against the Rockies.

Freeland’s loss tied him with Arizona’s Zac Gallen for the third-most in the majors. Only Washington’s Mitchell Parker and fellow Colorado starter Antonio Senzatela have more.

The Rockies have yet to announce a starter for Sunday’s game. MLB ERA leader Paul Skenes is scheduled to start for the Pirates.

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