Ryan Feltner knew it the nanosecond that Jack Suwinski clobbered his hanging 2-2 curveball.
He’d made a big mistake.
The Rockies’ right-hander contorted on the mound in frustration while Suwinski watched his two-run homer soar 459 feet to right to stretch the Pirates’ lead to 4-1 in the seventh inning. Pittsburgh went on to win, 5-2, in front of a Friday night crowd of 31,717 at Coors Field.
The Rockies have lost four straight in LoDo for the first time all season.
“I thought all of my pitches were generally working,” Feltner said. “That (hanging curveball) is a pitch I’m used to seeing going down, but it just floated there. It couldn’t have been more middle. Just one bad pitch. That’s one I’m frustrated by, for sure.”
Feltner’s tough inning was then compounded when he suffered a mild injury. Facing the next hitter, Jared Triolo, Feltner spiked a pitch and then indicated that he was injured. Manager Bud Black and head trainer Keith Dugger came to the mound, and after a brief consultation, Feltner left the game.
“He threw a pitch to the last hitter and I saw him sort of roll his shoulders and sort of wince a little bit,” Black said. “He had a bit of a spasm … I was going to take him out anyway.”
After the game, Feltner said his middle back tightened up but added that he would be fine.
“It was just one pitch, late in the game,” said Feltner, who fell to 1-6 with a 5.71 ERA. “I think I was just a little tired, I guess. I don’t anticipate any further issues.”
Colorado right fielder Charlie Blackmon staged a mini-rally in the ninth, hitting a solo home run to right, his third homer of the season. He also raked two doubles on Friday. It was the 16th time in Blackmon’s career that he had at least three extra-base hits in a game, tying him with Hall of Famer Todd Helton for the most in franchise history.
Blackmon, who turns 38 on July 1, is on a tear. He’s lashing .439/.477/.856 over his last 11 home games, with nine doubles, one triple, two home runs, and 13 RBIs.
In his 7 2/3 innings, Feltner showed flashes of the talent that intrigues the Rockies, and he struck out eight and walked just one, but the Pirates launched three long home runs off him.
“I thought his stuff was great, I really did,” Black said. “He would like to have the hanging breaking ball to Suwinski back, that was the back-breaker. But overall, he had good use of the fastball. I thought it was crisp. And he threw some good changeups and some good changeups, good curveballs. I thought his mix was good.”
In the first, Bryan Reynolds hit a 432-foot solo shot into the second deck in right field. In the sixth, veteran designated hitter Andrew McCutchen hit a solo homer 448 feet to dead center to break a 1-1 tie. Then came Suwinski’s game-turning blast. In four career games in Denver, Suwinski is slashing .444/.571/.1.778 with four home runs and seven RBIs.
McCutcheon’s one-out double, followed by Reynolds’ RBI single, put Pittsburgh up 5-1 in the eighth against reliever Victor Vodnik.
Colorado’s lone run arrived in the fifth on an RBI triple by Ezequiel Tovar, who drove in Blackmon, who had doubled. It could have been a big inning for Colorado, but it fizzled on a great throw from right field by former Rockie Connor Joe.
Adael Amador led off with a single to left and advanced to third on Blackmon’s double. Brenton Doyle hit a relatively shallow flyball to Joe, but Amador tagged up and attempted to score, only to be erased by Joe’s throw.
“It was a strong throw by Connor and it was online enough,” Black said. “It was a good aggressive play by us where we were trying to score, and Connor just heaved it. It was a bang-bang play at the plate.”
And so the Pirates’ mastery of the Rockies in LoDo continued. Pittsburgh swept the Rockies in their three-game series at Coors last April, outscoring the Rockies 33-14. Dating back to 2015, Pittsburgh is 19-9 at Coors Field, outscoring Colorado 182-136.
Cave hit during BP. Veteran outfielder Jake Cave was struck in the head by a line drive during batting practice Friday and was scratched from the starting lineup. Cave was standing in the outfield grass in right field when he was hit in the top of the forehead.
Cave was taken off the field on a cart while holding a towel to his head, but he was seated and alert when he was being checked out. The Rockies later described the injury as a “minor cut” to Cave’s head.
After the game, Cave said he didn’t suffer a concussion but did have to get four stitches to the wound.
“I was just working out in right field,” Cave said. “A guy hit a grounder to right field, I fielded it, threw (the ball) in the bucket and it must have been the next pitch. Because before I could even make a move, I turned back and — wham! — I was hit right in the forehead. Somebody must have hit a line drive or something off my head. It got me pretty good.”
Cave said he didn’t pass out but did see red.
“I go down to the ground, I’ve got my hand to my head, and then I look at my hand and it’s full of blood,” he said. “That’s a little scary, more than anything. But I’m fine. No wooziness, nothing like that.”
Injury updates. Catcher Elias Diaz, working through a left calf strain, was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday. Outfielder Nolan Jones (knee and back) came off the IL and took Diaz’s place on the 26-man roster.
Jones had two rehab assignments at Triple-A Albuquerque, the first ending when he sustained his knee injury. His second rehab assignment gave Jones a chance to hone his swing. Jones hit .214 (9-for-42) during his stints at Triple-A, with one home run and six RBIs.
Freeland forecast. Left-hander Kyle Freeland (elbow strain) is nearing his return to the Rockies. He pitched four innings in a Triple-A rehab start on Thursday, throwing 50 pitches, striking out four and allowing three hits, including a home run.
“I felt really good,” Freeland said Friday. “My velocity was 91-92 (mph), and I had good command of all of my pitches. I didn’t feel any discomfort.”
Freeland will make another rehab start for the Isotopes on Tuesday at Oklahoma City and before he rejoins Colorado’s rotation.
Saturday’s pitching matchup
Pirates RHP Jared Jones (4-5, 3.27 ERA) at Rockies LHP Ty Blach (2-4, 4.84)
7:10 p.m. Saturday, Coors Field
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Blach is a pitch-to-contact pitcher, but he’s made it work at Coors Field this season. The lefty is 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA in seven appearances in LoDo this season. But in his last game — his sixth start since moving into the starting rotation on May 12 — he was hit hard by the Cardinals in St. Louis. Blach gave up four runs on eight hits in five innings. In five career appearances (one start) against the Pirates, he is 0-1 with a 6.17 ERA.
Jones, 22, is making his 14th career start. The rookie gave up three runs (two earned) over five innings and took a no-decision in Pittsburgh’s 11-5, 10-inning loss last Sunday vs. the Twins. He’s pitched at least five innings and allowed three or fewer earned runs in 12 of his 13 starts. His 79 strikeouts rank third among all major league rookies. He also ranks high among all National League rookies in WHIP (1.06) and batting average against (.219).
Pitching probables
Sunday: Pirates TBA at Rockies RHP Dakota Hudson, 1:10 p.m.
Monday: Dodgers LHP James Paxton (6-1, 3.92) at Rockies RHP Cal Quantrill (6-4, 3.30), 6:40 p.m.
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