Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher James McDonald took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. When he left the game, he had allowed one run on hit with eight strikeouts. The Pittsburgh offense and bullpen could not help McDonald out and the Pirates lost the first game of their doubleheader with the Colorado Rockies, 2-1.
Carlos Gonzales scored on a Jason Giambi sacrifice fly in the seventh inning and Eric Young Jr. also scored on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Colvin in the eighth inning. to give the Rockies all the runs they needed. The Pirates lone run was from a Pedro Alvarez solo home run in the bottom of the seventh.
The second game of the doubleheader is set to start shortly with the Pirates starting Charlie Morton who is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA to start the season. The Colorado Rockies will send Jhoulys Chacin to the mound, also with an 0-1 record with a 4.80 ERA.
To follow the game with fellow Pirates fans, head over to Bucs Dugout. For more on the Rockies, there’s Purple Row.