Spencer Horwitz Clubs Two Homers; Pirates Fend off Rockies After Flirting With Another Disaster

Danny Demilio   |  

Aug 3, 2025

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The Pittsburgh Pirates held big leads in the first two games of their series against the Colorado Rockies only to lose both.

After Spencer Horwitz’s second home run of the game gave the Pirates a seven-run lead on Sunday, the Rockies hit back-to-back-to-back home runs, but Pittsburgh held on this time 9-5 to salvage the series at Coors Field.

How We Got There

Nick Gonzales plated the first run of the game with an infield single in the top of the first. Later in the inning, Tommy Pham put the Pirates (48-64) ahead 3-0 with a 446-foot two-run homer to center.

In the second inning, Spencer Horwitz extended the lead to 5-0 with a two-run homer, his first of two on the game. Horwitz belted a three-run home run with two outs in the sixth to put Pittsburgh ahead 8-1.

Pirates starter Mitch Keller held the Rockies (30-81) to one run through five innings before Mickey Moniak (two-run), Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the bottom of the sixth.

Horwitz drove in his career-high sixth run of the game and tacked on some insurance with a groundout in the eighth.

The Pirates’ bullpen worked around some traffic but ensured the Rockies would not mount a third-straight comeback.

Key Moment

Spencer Horwitz’s second homer gave the Pirates some much-needed extra breathing room.

Star of the Game

Sencer Horwitz stayed hot and led the Pirates to a needed win. In 11 games dating back to July 21, Horwitz is batting .395 (17 for 43) with three doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI.

Stat to Know

Spencer Horwitz’s home run off Ryan Rolison was the first of his career against a left-handed pitcher. It also gave him the third multi-homer game of his career. Horwitz hit two home runs against the Cleveland Guardians on last season on June 23 and a couple months later against the Atlanta Braves on Sep. 7.

Notable Performances

• Mitch Keller: 5.0 innings, seven hits, five runs, one walk, four strikeouts, 88 pitches/57 strikes
• Spencer Horwitz: 3 for 5, two home runs, one double, six RBI, three runs
• Nick Gonzales: 3 for 5, one RBI, one run
• Tommy Pham: 1 for 5, one home run, two RBI, one run

Noteworthy

• The Pirates ended their road trip with a 4-2 record. It marked the first time the Pirates ended a road trip consisting of six or more games with a winning record since last season from July 9-14, when they took two of three from the Milwaukee Brewers and swept the Chicago White Sox.
• Nick Gonzales finished 3 for 5 and extended his hitting streak to six games. He’s batting .414 (12 for 29) during the streak.
• This was the 1,200th game played for Tommy Pham in his career. His two-run home run gave pushed him over 500 career RBI (now has 501).
• The Pirates traded C Eli Wilson to the San Diego Padres.

Up Next

The Pirates will return home to face the San Francisco Giants. Pittsburgh has yet to announce a starting pitcher. RHP Justin Verlander (1-8, 4.53 ERA) will start for the Giants. First pitch: 6:40 p.m.