Rockies’ offense falters in 8-2 loss to Pirates at Coors Field

“That’s baseball” is one of manager Bud Black’s favorite refrains.

Seeing-eye base hits, bloop doubles, balls lost in the sun, and a crucial missed call by the home plate umpire. All that was on full display in the Rockies’ 8-2 loss to the Pirates on Sunday at Coors Field.

But that’s not what cost the Rockies a chance to clinch the three-game series in front of a Father’s Day crowd of 40,422. The Rockies’ offense was like a bad dad joke. Cringe-worthy.

After pounding out 16 runs on 16 hits in a 16-4 victory on Saturday night, Colorado followed up with nine hits on Sunday but never put together a big inning. Colorado was 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position, while the Pirates were 4 for 12.

“We had a lot of hits, but they were really spread out, not consecutive,” said third baseman Ryan McMahon, who hit 1 for 4. “You’ve got to get two or three hits in a row.”

Added Black, for the umpteenth time this season: “We just couldn’t really mount anything against their pitchers. We had a couple of opportunities with some mini-threats but couldn’t get anything sustained with another hit or two.”

Pittsburgh lefty starter Josh Fleming allowed four hits over four-plus scoreless innings. Fleming gave up back-to-back singles to Nolan Jones and Jake Cave to open the fifth. But reliever Carmen Mlodzinski rescued Fleming by getting Hunter Goodman to chop into a double play and Adael Amador to ground out to first.

The Pirates’ five-run sixth inning broke the Rockies’ back. Right-hander Dakota Hudson, who deserved a better fate, gave up a pair of cheap, one-out singles to Oneil Cruz and Nick Gonzalez. Gonzalez’s hit glanced off of Hudson and likely would have been a double play.

“That is what it is, but it’s part of the game, unfortunately,” Hudson said. “I felt a little upset that I couldn’t get out of the way to allow my Gold Glove-caliber shortstop (Ezequiel Tovar) a chance. He was ready to make that double play.”

At that point, Black opted for reliever Victor Vodnik.

Vodnik gave up a two-run infield single to Jared Triolo and another single to Jack Suwinski. Then came a critical pitch. Vodnik’s 3-2, 100 mph fastball looked like strike three, but umpire John Libka called it ball four to load the bases. Up stepped Jason Delay, who crushed a two-run double.

The Pirates tagged on two more runs in the seventh against Nick Mears. Bryan Reynolds led off with a single, Cruz doubled to right, and Rowdy Tellez blooped a two-run single to left.

Hudson fell to 2-9 after giving up three runs on seven hits over his 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked one. Pittsburgh carved out a run in the second when Triolo lofted a two-out double to right field that Charlie Blackmon appeared to lose in the sun. Jack Suwinski followed up with an RBI single to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.

“He threw great, and he deserved a better fate for sure,” Black said. “He was one groundball away from going six innings and giving up just the one run. He had a good slider, and that was the key today.”