PITTSBURGH (AP) — Connor Joe singled home the tiebreaking run in the top of the 10th inning and the Colorado Rockies slipped past the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 on Tuesday night.
With one out, Joe grounded his hit up the middle off David Bednar (1-1), scoring automatic runner Sam Hilliard from second base.
Joe ran his on-base streak to 21 games, and Jose Iglesias had two hits for the Rockies.
Daniel Bard (2-2) pitched two scoreless innings to complete Colorado’s five-hitter. The Rockies won for just the second time in their last 12 road games.
The Pirates put runners on first and third with one out in the ninth, but Bard (2-2) escaped the jam to keep it tied at 1. He got Cal Mitchell to hit into a fielder’s choice against a five-man infield, with Rodolfo Castro thrown out at home. Michael Perez grounded out to end the inning.
The Rockies tied the game in the eighth on Ryan McMahon’s line-drive single to center field with two outs. The run was unearned after Castro, the rookie shortstop, booted Elias Diaz’s grounder for an error to start the inning.
Mitchell drove in the Pirates’ lone run in his major league debut with a fifth-inning single. Fellow rookie Roansy Contreras pitched five shutout innings in his first big league start of the season.
Both were called up from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day.
Mitchell’s one-out single scored Diego Castillo, who had doubled. In the third, Mitchell made a leaping catch on Charlie Blackmon’s long drive to right field.
Contreras gave up three hits in his second career start. He struck out five and walked two.
Contreras made three relief appearances with the Pirates earlier this season after debuting last September.
Rockies starter Kyle Freeland allowed one run and two hits in 4 1/3 innings while striking out six and walking two.
After making his warmup pitches prior to the third inning, Freeland doubled over behind the mound. He stayed in the game after being visited by manager Bud Black and an athletic trainer.
The Pirates lost for the fourth time in five games.
MITCHELL BOUNCES BACK
Mitchell’s prospect status seemed in doubt during the offseason when the Pirates did not protect him on their 40-man roster. He then hit .307 with five home runs in 34 games for Indianapolis.
“I don’t know if you want to call it a chip on your shoulder,” Mitchell said of being left off the roster. “There’s a sense of, ‘OK, now watch what I can do,’ for sure.”
Left-handed reliever Cam Alldred was designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Mitchell.
