Pirates sweep Rockies, end road trip on ‘Mile High’ note

Thanks to an early offensive explosion and another stellar outing by Johan Oviedo, the Pittsburgh Pirates earned their second sweep of the young season with a 14-3 thrashing of the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

The Pirates put the game away early by scoring nine runs in the first two innings. Five came in the first frame, while four were plated in the second. Andrew McCutchen headlined the monstrous two innings with his fourth home run of the season in the second, a 442-foot laser to left center field.

The home run also marked the 2,486th total base in Cutch’s career, pushing him past Arky Vaughn for ninth all-time in team history.

After the Rockies nabbed a run in the fifth thanks to a sacrifice fly, Rodolfo Castro put the Bucs ahead by double digits in the sixth with a 458-foot, three-run home run.

The Pirates’ offense wouldn’t end there, though. Tucupita Marcano doubled home Ke’Bryan Hayes in the top of the ninth and would later score on a ground out by Canaan Smith-Njigba.

As previously mentioned, Oviedo turned in another strong outing after allowing just three hits and an earned run while collecting six strikeouts in as many innings. Not only did he earn his second win of the year, but he also posted the ninth consecutive quality start among Pirates starters, marking the first streak of its kind since August 2017.

Leading the Pirates’ offensive charge were Connor Joe and Jason Delay as both finished 3-for-5 with a double. Castro finished 2-for-6 and chipped in four RBIs.

The Pirates finish their road trip 5-2 and return to PNC Park on Thursday to host the Cincinnati Reds for a four-game weekend series.