GAME 1
PITTSBURGH — JT Brubaker tossed six shutout innings to help the Pittsburgh Pirates win the first game of a seven-inning doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies 7-0 on Saturday. Pittsburgh snapped a six-game skid by handing Colorado a fourth straight loss. Brubaker (4-4) allowed only two hits until the sixth inning, when Raimel Tapia had a leadoff single and C.J. Cron was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Charlie Blackmon and Brendan Rodgers flied out to end the inning. The right-hander gave up four hits with five strikeouts before being relieved by Chasen Shreve in the seventh. Brubaker recovered from his previous two starts, when he allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 18 and surrendered seven in 5 1/3 to the Atlanta Braves five days later. Bryan Reynolds hit his team-leading sixth homer, a two-run shot to right that pushed the lead to 5-0 in the fifth, and Gregory Polanco scored on a fielder’s choice, making it 6-0 later that inning. Polanco had a sacrifice fly an inning later.
GAME 2
PITTSBURGH — Mitch Keller and the Pittsburgh bullpen finished off a pair of seven-inning shutouts, and the Pirates blanked the Colorado Rockies 4-0 to sweep a doubleheader Saturday. After JT Brubaker excelled to win the opener 7-0 and end Pittsburgh’s six-game losing streak, Keller was equally impressive. The Pirates shut out a team in both games of a doubleheader for the first time since Oct. 3, 1976, against the St. Louis Cardinals. Pittsburgh pitchers combined to hold Colorado to just six total hits. The Rockies have lost five in a row. After going 1 for 4 with a double in the opener, Adam Frazier hit a leadoff homer in the second on the first pitch from Austin Gomber (3-5). It was Frazier’s 10th career leadoff homer, tied with Al Martin for the second most in team history behind Barry Bonds’ 20. Frazier scored in the third, making it 2-0, when catcher Elias Diaz attempted to catch him stealing third as Bryan Reynolds drew a walk. Diaz, formerly with the Pirates, threw the ball into left field. Ka’ai Tom later homered and Jacob Stallings hit his first major league triple.