PITTSBURGH — Somebody had to blink. It turns out it was Kyle Freeland.
He lost a pitcher’s duel to Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller, who was magnificent as he pitched a complete-game shutout in Pittsburgh’s 2-0 win Monday night at PNC Park.
Freeland escaped traffic jams via double plays in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings. But all Freeland could do in the seventh inning was watch Rodolfo Castro’s two-run homer sneak over the center-field wall.
That was all Pittsburgh needed. The Pirates snapped a seven-game losing streak while the Rockies lost for just the second time in their last eight games.
The Pirates’ Connor Joe, the former Rockies, led off the seventh with a single to right, setting up Castro’s homer. Castro hammered Freeland’s 0-1, upper-middle, 90.1 mph fastball for his fourth homer of the season.
Keller allowed just four hits, struck out eight and walked just one en route to the first shutout of his career. Kris Bryant had two of the hits, both singles, including a single in the first that was the 1,000th hit of his career.
Freeland’s best friend was catcher Elias Diaz, who continued his remarkable early season.
Diaz pulled off two double plays-caught stealing. In the Pirates’ first, Ke’Bryan Hayes led off with a single but was erased trying to swipe second as Freeland struck out Andrew McCutcheon. In the fifth, Rodolfo Castro walked and Jack Suwinski singled, but Freeland escaped the jam when he struck out Chris Owings and Diaz fired a missile to nail Castro trying to steal third.
Diaz also threw out Hayes trying to swipe second to end the eighth.
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