When it rains, it pours. And in the case of the 2024 Rockies, it floods.
Pinch-hitter Jack Suwinski hit a walk-off single to score Connor Joe and lift the Pirates to a 1-0 victory over Colorado on Saturday at dank and dreary PNC Park. Suwinski drilled reliever Nick Mears’ 0-1 fastball into left field for the game-winner.
The Rockies, who have yet to win back-to-back games this season, squandered an excellent start by left-hander Austin Gomber and slid to 8-25. Dominated by talented Pirates right-hander Jared Jones for seven innings, Colorado managed just one hit and struck out 11 times.
Joe, the former Rockies fan favorite, led off the ninth with a groundball single through the left side and took second on Mears’ wild pitch. Given the Rockies’ track record, you could sense a defeat coming. Sure enough, Mears walked Jared Triolo and then intentionally walked Oneil Cruz to load the bases, setting the stage for Suwinski’s game-winner.
Jones came one hit away from pitching a perfect seven innings. Elias Diaz ripped a solid double into the left-field corner to lead off the fifth but was left stranded. Outside of that one swing, the Rockies could do nothing against Jones, who struck out 10 and walked none.
At 22 years, 237 days old, Jones became the youngest major league pitcher with a start of at least seven innings, one or fewer hits allowed, and 10 or more strikeouts since Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta (22 years, 22 days) on June 26, 2018, vs. Kansas City.
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Gomber was terrific and nearly matched Jones. The lefty Gomber pitched six scoreless innings, gave up four hits, walked two and fanned three. He whittled his ERA to 3.79.
Colorado’s defense provided Gomber with stellar support. In the second, Joe led off with a single into the right-field corner and tried to stretch the hit into a double, but Jake Cave made a perfect throw to shortstop Ezequiel Tovar to nail Joe at second.
In the sixth, Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a one-out double to left under the glove of third baseman Ryan McMahon. Up to the plate came Joe, who looped a ball into shallow left only to see rookie Jordan Beck swoop in and make a sliding catch, robbing Joe of a single to prevent Hayes from scoring.
The Rockies, who won Game 1 of the three-game series on Friday night, will attempt to win their first season series on Sunday afternoon.
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