The Pittsburgh Pirates (10-7) seemed to enjoy their first trip to Denver, beating the Colorado Rockies (5-12) 14-3 in game one of this series. It was pretty much decided after the third inning, and shortstop Alan Trejo got to pitch for the Rockies. Game two will hopefully be more competitive, with Pittsburgh looking to take the series. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:40 p.m. EST again, and Coors Field will host these two NL clubs for a second time in 2023.
CUTCH IS RED HOT ?? ?? pic.twitter.com/spfMAYcNck
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 18, 2023
Andrew McCutchen got things started with a home run in the first inning. In the second inning, it felt like everyone else in the Pittsburgh lineup scored, as they put up six more runs. After two more in the third and four more in the fifth, the Pirates were well on their way to a 10th win. Rich Hill played his part, allowing only one run in 6.0 innings of work. Pittsburgh shouldn't have much to complain about from Monday night.
Vince Velasquez earned his first win of the season last Thursday and will look to build upon that 6.0-inning scoreless start in this one. In the process, he'll have to contend with a bunch of hitters that have had success against him. Charlie Blackmon is 6-20 against him, Kris Bryant is 3-6, C.J. Cron is 3-4, and Jurickson Profar is 3-3. Velasquez has a 4.94 ERA in his nine-year career. < /p>
He'll hand the ball to a bullpen that entered this series second in WAR in seventh in FIP when he departs from the game. Pittsburgh relievers have a 5-1 record with seven saves. They make up for ranking 25th in BB/9 by ranking fourth in HR/9 this year.
Pittsburgh's offense came into this series with poor numbers, but they're going to look a lot better after Monday's performance. Where they have excelled offensively is stealing bases and hitting homers, and they picked up a pair of both in game one. Bryan Reynolds came out of the gate as one of the league's hottest hitters and is the catalyst of the lineup.