The Pirates' depth took a hit when Josh Harrison broke a bone in his left hand, forcing them to recall Max Moroff to serve as a backup infielder and thrusting Adam Frazier back into a starting role. That depth was put to the test Wednesday afternoon at PNC Park when Clint Hurdle chose to rest four regulars; however, his reserves helped snap the offense's drought.
Sean Rodriguez hit a two-run homer, David Freese added a two-run double in the fifth inning to back Chad Kuhl, and the Pirates defeated the Rockies, 10-2, to avoid a series sweep and the team's first three-game losing streak of the season.
The Pirates, now 12-6 and still atop the Central Division standings, had nine players contribute to the 13-hit effort, and Kuhl allowed one run in six innings, but it was the performance of the reserves that sparked optimism with the club leaving Pittsburgh for the other side of the Commonwealth.
"We were kind of thinking about you have your every day guys getting a breather, and you want to take pride in stepping up and making it kind of seem like a seamless transition," Freese said afterward. "We’ve shown that getting in there. Today was a day where we kind of showed up and kept it going. Helped get a W."
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TAP ABOVE FOR BOXSCORE, STANDINGS[/caption]
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