Jack Suwinski, Josh VanMeter hit 3-run homers as Pirates roll past Rockies

The Pittsburgh Pirates readily acknowledge their need to manufacture runs, with a lineup that lacks the power to rely on home runs.

Two swings snapped the Pirates out of an offensive funk.

Jack Suwinski hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning, and Josh VanMeter added another three-run shot in the seventh as the Pirates rolled over the Colorado Rockies, 10-5, on Wednesday afternoon before 10,014 at PNC Park.

It marked the first time this season the Pirates scored in double figures. Their previous highs were in 9-4 wins over St. Louis on April 10 and Washington on April 14. The Pirates hadn’t scored more than four runs in a game since a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 11.

The Pirates trailed by as many as four runs before rallying.

“To be able to put up 10 runs up obviously is huge,” said VanMeter, who went 2 for 4. “It’s a roller-coaster of emotions. A game can change real quick. That old cliche, that one swing can change the game, you saw the perfect example: Two swings changed the game today. I was glad that we were on the winning side of it.”

The Rockies scored three runs off Zach Thompson in the second inning, when C.J. Cron hit a leadoff single, Ryan McMahon doubled and Randal Grichuk drove in both with a double to right for a 2-0 lead. Brian Serven singled to score Grichuk for a 3-0 Rockies lead.

After Charlie Blackmon hit into a double play, Cron crushed an 0-2 fastball 427 feet into the left-field bleachers for his 12th home run of the season and a 4-0 lead.

The Pirates cut their deficit in half in the third. Tyler Heineman drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third on Bryan Reynolds’ double and scored on a Ke’Bryan Hayes grounder to short. Ben Gamel followed with a single to left to score Reynolds and make it 4-2.

Thompson allowed four runs on seven hits in three innings before being replaced by Mitch Keller, who got out of a first-and-third situation with an inning-ending double play in the fourth but gave up three hits and one run in the fifth. Grichuk’s single scored Yonathan Daza for a 5-2 lead.

The Pirates tied it in the sixth. Michael Chavis drew a one-out walk, and the Rockies replaced Lucas Gilbreath with Carlos Estevez after VanMeter’s pop fly to left.

After Rodolfo Castro singled to right, Suwinski battled Estevez in a nine-pitch at-bat that saw him foul off five pitches between 97 and 99 mph. Finally, Suwinski’s patience paid off when he sent a 3-2 pitch 363 feet over the Clemente Wall in right, where a young fan in the front row caught the ball.

“He just continued to battle and battle and battle and got himself a pitch to hit in a 3-2 count and squared it up,” Shelton said. “It was a good at-bat. This kid doesn’t get rattled very easily. It was nice to see him get rewarded with the fruits of his labor.”

After video review to make sure there was no fan interference, Suwinski’s homer was confirmed and the score tied 5-5. Suwinski soon realized how his swing changed the momentum of the game.

“Everyone definitely gets excited. They’re all hyped up after that,” Suwinski said. “That’s a little extra motivation, (because) now we have the energy in our direction and we go out there and shut them down.”

Suwinski leads NL rookies with five home runs, a statistic that was shown on the scoreboard as the Pirates took the field for the seventh inning. As VanMeter ran out to second base, he turned to Reynolds in disbelief: “He’s got five homers already?”

“He’s got some thump, man,” VanMeter said. “The kid can hit. His numbers at Double-A were stupid. He’s proven it every day. He works his tail off, and it’s fun to watch.”

The Pirates went ahead against Justin Lawrence in the seventh, when Reynolds drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on Cal Mitchell’s single down the right-field line and scored on Gamel’s single to shallow right for a 6-5 lead.

VanMeter then showed some thump of his own with a swing that changed the outcome. He drove a 2-2 slider 403 feet into the right-field seats for a three-run homer and 9-5 lead. The Pirates added another run in the eighth, when Mitchell doubled to score Suwinski for a 10-5 lead.

Pirates righty reliever Yerry De Los Santos, called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, made his major-league debut in the ninth and recorded his first career strikeout by getting Serven swinging at an 83 mph slider.

After Daza reached on a fielder’s choice and Blackmon walked, De Los Santos had runners on first and third when Cron came to bat with two outs. Cron worked a full count before striking out swinging at a slider.

“I thought he did a nice job,” Shelton said. “In the last inning he had to go through the heart of their order. The fastball came out nice. We saw the sinker. He was able to execute breaking balls. Had some guys on base, but I don’t think he got sped up at all, which is good to see. He didn’t worry about it.”