Following their doubleheader losses at the hands of the Mets, the Rockies travel to the Steel City as they battle the similarly-cold Pittsburgh Pirates.
This is game one of a split double-header on Saturday.
The Pirates have lost their last six games, and nine of their last ten. The worst of those was a historic 20-1 yikes-a-thon against Atlanta last Friday. Pittsburgh, deep into their rebuild, is struggling on both sides of the ball this season, as they’re in the bottom three in both team ERA and team batting average in the National League. To add insult to injury, the Bucs were on the wrong end of one of the wilder plays in recent memory in their loss to the Cubs on Thursday. All that said, there are bright spots for Pittsburgh as well. Adam Frazier is having a very nice season, hitting at a .332 clip, and Bryan Reynolds is doing a solid job in the outfield.
For Colorado, road woes have been the story of the season. At a 3-20 record away from Coors, the Rockies haven’t been able to find their mojo offensively. Hitting just .202 as a team, they will need to figure things out quickly if they’re to get back on track. The worst full-season road record belongs to the 1935 Boston Braves, who went 13-65. Can the Rox avoid this dubious distinction at season’s end?
For Friday’s starters, JT Brubaker (3-4 4.20 ERA) has never faced the Rockies before. Jon Gray (4-4, 3.43 ERA) is experiencing similar issues as his teammates: effective at altitude, less so away from home. His 2.36 ERA at home is a far cry from his road ERA. Let’s see if he can find his effectiveness in Pittsburgh.
First Pitch: 10:05am MST
TV: AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain, MLB.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)
Lineups:
Gray vs. Black & Yellow pic.twitter.com/8oO8Z7Vddr
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) May 29, 2021
Game 1 of 2.#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/KJI0tEhgmC
— Pirates (@Pirates) May 29, 2021