DENVER (AP) — Jared Triolo had two hits and two RBIs, Jason Delay had a three-run double, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 8-2 on Sunday.
Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds singled in the seventh to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest active streak in the majors.
Four Pittsburgh pitchers combined to hold Colorado a pair of runs a day after the Rockies scored 16 for just the second time since 2018. They had three home runs and 10 extra-base hits on Saturday night. They finished with nine hits on Sunday.
“Their bats caught fire (Saturday),” Pirates starting pitcher Josh Fleming said. “(Delay) called a great game, Carmen (Mlodzinski) came in and got the huge double play, the huge rollover, kind of saved me there.”
Mlodzinski (1-2) got the victory with two innings of shutout relief.
“The biggest thing is we threw strikes,” manager Derek Shelton said. “We didn’t have a walk today. You cannot give up free bases in this ballpark or they come back to haunt you.”
Andrew McCutchen had a single for the Pirates but his streak of consecutive games with a home run at Coors Field was snapped at five. Oneil Cruz singled and doubled in his return to the lineup after missing two games with ankle soreness.
Pittsburgh got a run in the second on Jack Suwinski’s RBI single and squandered a chance to add to it in the fourth when Nick Gonzales was thrown out at third trying to execute a double steal.
The Pirates padded their lead with two outs in the sixth off starter Dakota Hudson (2-9) and reliever Victor Vodnik. Triolo had a two-run single and Delay cleared the bases with a three-run double, his first hit of the season.
“That span of four hitters really was the determining factor in the game,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “Two outs, guys on second and third in a one-run game in the sixth inning. (Vodnik) hung a breaking ball, guy bounced it up the middle, and then the walk. They put the ball in play and found holes and the backbreaker was the double.”
Colorado averted the shutout when Jake Cave beat out a relay to avoid a double play, allowing Jacob Stallings to score from third. Nolan Jones, who had three hits, added an RBI single in the ninth.
Hunter Goodman, who had two home runs and five RBIs in Saturday night’s 16-4 win, crushed a pitch just foul of the pole in left field, a call that held up on a crew chief review.
“Good teams take pride in bouncing back from losses like Saturday night,” Triolo said. “We came in today with a plan to do so.”
UP NEXTPirates: RHP Paul Skenes (3-0, 2.43 ERA) opens a three-game home series against Cincinnati on Monday night.
Rockies: RHP Cal Quantrill (6-4, 3.30) will face James Paxton (6-1, 3.92) to open a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday Night.
BLUE JAYS 7, GUARDIANS 6TORONTO (AP) — Daulton Varsho hit his third career grand slam, Ernie Clement added a two-run home run and the Toronto Blue Jays held on to beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-6 on Sunday.
José Berríos pitched six innings to end a four-start winless streak as the Blue Jays took two of three from the AL Central leaders.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached base four times and scored a run to help Toronto win for the seventh time in 11.
Varsho batted with the bases loaded three times. He popped to shortstop against Ben Lively in the first inning and struck out against Hunter Gaddis in the eighth, but hit his second grand slam of the season off Nick Sandlin in the fifth.
“It’s one of those things where sometimes you get it done, sometimes you don’t,” Varsho said. “When you do get it done, it feels really good.”
Varsho has a .319 career average with the bases loaded, going 15 for 47.
Toronto is 27-3 when scoring five runs or more, including a 15-0 mark at home.
Berríos (6-5) allowed four runs and matched a season worst by giving up eight hits but won for the first time since May 20. He walked none and struck out one.
After Chad Green pitched the seventh and Brendon Little worked the eighth, Yimi García gave up a two-run home run to Brayan Rocchio in the ninth. Rocchio’s homer was his second of the season.
García left because of a sore elbow after allowing back-to-back two-out hits to Steven Kwan and Tyler Freeman.
“I’m glad he said something, to be honest with you,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Obviously he’s been so, so good.”
Nate Pearson came on and retired Andrés Giménez to strand the tying run at third base, earning his second save in three chances.
“When Nate came in I said ‘You probably thought you weren’t pitching today but here you are, and lock it in,’ and he did,” Schneider said. “That’s a really tough ask against a guy who’s going to put the ball in play.”
Cleveland’s Daniel Schneemann hit his first career home run, a two-run drive off Berríos in the sixth inning. Schneemann finished 3 for 4.
Lively (6-3) allowed a season-high four runs and six hits in four-plus innings, losing for the first time since May 9. The right-hander had won his previous five starts.
“Falling behind just kills you,” Lively said.
Clement opened the scoring with a one-out home run in the second inning, his third of the season.
The Guardians snapped a 17-inning scoreless drought and tied the score with two runs off Berríos in the fifth. Kwan hit an RBI single and a second run scored on Freeman’s double play groundout.
Kwan finished 4 for 5 with four singles in his second four-hit game of 2024.
“It’s a tough task to get him out,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said.
Lively left after walking back-to-back batters to begin the fifth. Sandlin came on but didn’t retire any of the five batters he faced. Guerrero greeted Sandlin with a single and Varsho followed with his team-leading 11th home run.
Sandlin walked George Springer and Alejandro Kirk, then left after giving up Addison Barger’s RBI single. Scott Barlow came on and retired the next three in order.
METS 11, PADRES 6NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso had a season-high five RBIs, combining with Francisco Lindor on first-inning home runs that built a three-run lead against Dylan Cease after 16 pitches, and the surging New York Mets beat the San Diego Padres 11-6 Sunday for their fifth straight win.
Tylor Megill (2-3) allowed two runs and five hits over five innings as the Mets opened a 7-1 lead and held on to sweep San Diego for the first time since 2006.
“Those are some of the games that we were losing in May and today we found a way,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
San Diego lost its seventh straight road game and dropped below .500 at 37-38. The Padres have averaged 2.2 runs per game with a .571 OPS during the road skid.
“We’ve got to start to marry our hitting and our pitching more consistently,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said.
Lindor tied the score with his 19th leadoff home run — his previous was against Cease on Sept. 3, 2019. Alonso put the Mets ahead 4-1 with a three-run drive, his 15th home run this season.
New York allowed San Diego to close to 7-6 with a four-run eighth, when Drew Smith struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. to strand runners at the corners after a jumping catch by center fielder Harrison Bader held Luis Campusano to a sacrifice fly rather than a tying, two-run extra-base hit. Ha-Seong Kim then held at third, respecting right fielder Starling Marte’s arm rather than try to score from second on Luis Arraez’s single.
Alonso hit a two-run single in the four-run bottom half against Jeremiah Estrada, who allowed a leadoff homer to Luis Torrens.
J.D. Martinez went 2 for 3 with a pair of walks and reached base in 10 consecutive plate appearances before striking out in the eighth.
New York has won nine of its past 11 and 11 of 15 since a three-game sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers prompted Mets players to call a postgame team meeting. At 33-37, they head on the road among nine teams bunched within two games for the NL’s last two wild-card spots.
“We played great team baseball,” Alonso said. “We can string some wins together, and that’s what we did this homestand, and hopefully we can continue it on the road.”
San Diego’s Manny Machado and Shildt were ejected for arguing with plate umpire Adam Beck in the sixth after the All-Star took a called third strike.
“Checked swing early doesn’t go your way, borderline pitch doesn’t go your way,” Shildt said. “We haven’t had the results we want at the end of the day on the scoreboard. That can add up, as well. So, yeah, there’s some frustration there, but bottom line is we got to be better.”
Cease (6-6) allowed a season-high seven runs, seven hits, three walks and two wild pitches in 4 2/3 innings. He sat on the bench and shook his head when removed from the game.
Both teams wore jerseys with light blue ribbons and caps with light blue elements to raise awareness of prostate cancer on Father’s Day.
On the 10th anniversary of the death of Padres great Tony Gwynn, Machado put San Diego ahead with an RBI single in the first.
TRAINER’S ROOMPadres: RHP Joe Musgrove (right elbow inflammation) likely will play catch Wednesday or Thursday.
Mets: RHP Kodai Senga (right shoulder capsule strain) is on track for a third bullpen session Wednesday and if that goes well would progress to batting practice. Senga resumed throwing bullpen sessions on June 12 and threw another on Saturday.
UP NEXTPadres: RHP Randy Vásquez (1-3, 4.93) starts for San Diego and LHP Cristopher Sánchez (3-3, 3.07) for the Phillies in a series opener at Philadelphia.
Mets: LHP David Peterson (2-0, 4.32) starts Monday night’s series opener at Texas, which goes with RHP Jon Gray (2-2, 2.17).
