Pirates Blow Huge Chance in 9th, Fall to Rockies at Coors

Danny Demilio |

Jun 19, 2026

Mason Montgomery, Pittsburgh Pirates — Photo provided by Matt Lynch

The Pirates had the bases loaded with nobody out in the top of the ninth but came up empty and were defeated 4-3 by the Rockies at Coors Field on Friday night.

Scoring Plays

Bottom 3rd, 1-0 COL: With two outs, Willi Castro hit an RBI double to right off Bubba Chandler to give the Rockies (29-47) an early lead.

Bottom 4th, 2-0 COL: TJ Rumfield ambushed Chandler’s first pitch of the inning with a 427-foot solo home run to right field.

Top 8th, 3-2: The Pirates (38-38) finally found the scoreboard against Kyle Freeland when Esmerlyn Valdez and Jared Triolo hit back-to-back doubles with one out. Pinch-hitter Bryan Reynolds followed with an RBI single off reliever Jaden Hill. Later in the inning, Nick Gonzales hit an RBI triple off the right field wall to give Pittsburgh its first lead of the game.

Bottom 8th, 4-3 COL: Pinch-hitter Braxton Fulford delivered a two-out double to left-center, the third of three straight hits with two outs against Mason Montgomery (2-2).

Key Moments

Marcell Ozuna opened the ninth with a single, Brandon Lowe reached on an error and Endy Rodríguez drew a walk to load the bases with no outs in the ninth. But Antonio Senzatela (7-0) struck out pinch-hitter Tyler Callihan and got Jared Triolo to bounce into a game-ending double play.

Player of the Game

Rockies starter Kyle Freeland set season-highs in innings (7.1) and strikeouts (eight). He held the Pirates to two runs on four hits and didn’t walk a batter.

Stat to Know

The Rockies were 5-40 when trailing after seven innings this season. The Pirates were 30-4 when leading after seven.

Notable Performances

Bubba Chandler: 6.0 innings, six hits, two runs, two walks, one strikeout, 74 pitches/49 strikes
Mason Montgomery: 0.2 innings, three hits, two runs, no strikeouts, one walk, 24 pitches/15 strikes
Jared Triolo: 2 for 4, one double, one RBI, one run
Nick Gonzales: 1 for 4, one triple, one RBI

Noteworthy

Bubba Chandler’s six innings matched a season-high. He also threw six innings against the Rays on April 17. Chandler has a 3.18 ERA over his last three starts.
Bryan Reynolds (left groin discomfort) was scratched from the starting lineup and was replaced by Esmerlyn Valdez in left field. Reynolds extended his hitting streak to 10 games and his on-base streak to 25 with his pinch-hit RBI single.
On Thursday, the Pirates traded C Joey Bart to the Braves for RHP Chris Stratton.

Up Next

RHP Paul Skenes (6-6, 2.85 ERA) will start for the Pirates on Saturday night. RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (7-4, 4.54 ERA) will be on the mound for the Rockies. First pitch: 9:10 p.m. ET on Sports Net Pittsburgh/93.7 The Fan.