Four Biggest Winners in Pirates' Series Win Over Rockies
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates continued their great month of May with another series win, this time against the Colorado Rockies.
The Pirates took the first game of the series on May 12, 3-1, then the final game of the series on May 14, 7-2, giving them a series victory over the Rockies at PNC Park, who took the second game of the series on May 13, 10-4.
It marked the third series win this month for the Pirates and improves them to 24-20 on the season and also 13-10 at PNC Park, keeping them well within their goals of contending for the playoffs.
The Pirates had a few standout players against the Rockies that led the way and helped secure that series victory.
Paul Skenes Flirts With Perfection Again
Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes has had a legitimate chance to throw a perfect game in three of his past four starts and his outing in the series opener vs. the Rockies was much of the same.
Skenes took a perfect game into the fifth inning, before hitting a batter, then took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, before giving up a single that Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz almost caught while laying out for the diving grab.
The Pirates ace was dominant, regardless, throwing eight scoreless innings and allowing just two hits, while posting a season-high 10 strikeouts.
Skenes bounced back from a tough start vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park, where he gave up five runs and three earned runs in a 10-4 defeat and is back to his very best on the mound.
He also had a perfect game going into the fifth inning vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 6, where he ended up throwing away a slow roller down the third base line, but still finished with eight scoreless innings and only two hits allowed with seven strikeouts.
Skenes is pitching better than anyone else in baseball, with both the lowest batting average allowed (.145) and lowest WHIP (0.64), while not walking a batter in more than a month and issuing just seven walks on the season.
It's become an historic season for Skenes and he's proving that he's still on the way to getting even better at almost 24 years old.
Ryan O'Hearn Shows His Power for the Pirates
The Pirates signed Ryan O'Hearn to a two-year, $29 million contract this offseason, making him their first multi-year free agent signing in almost a decade.
O'Hearn has had a great season at the plate, but his May wasn't so great, hitting just .235 and also had no hits in four at-bats with two strikeouts in the series opener vs. the Rockies.
He finally got going in the second game, hitting a solo home run and also adding a double with two runs scored, which then saw him hit a two-run home run in the series finale and finish with three hits in four at-bats and two runs scored.
O'Hearn finished his series with five hits in 12 at-bats, four runs scored, a double, two home runs, and three RBI, playing a big role in the Pirates getting that last win as well, as his home run put them up 3-0 in the bottom of the first inning.
Those home runs were the sixth and seventh of the season for O'Hearn, his first home runs in May and ended 12 straight games without a home run for him.
O'Hearn is one of the better hitters on the Pirates, slashing .299/.375/.474 for an OPS of .849, tied for the team-lead with 46 hits, second with 29 RBI and third with his seven home runs.
The Pirates need his production more moving forward and this series was a big step towards O'Hearn doing that.
Mason Montgomery Ever Mr. Reliable
The Pirates have had a shaky bullpen throughout 2026, with some great performances and others that definitely left everyone frustrated.
Left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery has stayed consistent and threw a scoreless inning in a spot start for the Pirates in that series finale.
Montgomery took on three right-handed batters and a left-hander, as the Rockies tried to switch things up against him, but he only gave up one hit while striking out three others to throw his scoreless frame.
His outing allowed the Pirates to go with fellow southpaw Evan Sisk for the second inning and then right-handed pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski for the next five innings, who only gave up two earned runs.
Montgomery has overcome his early struggles, five earned runs in five innings pitched, and has thrown 12 consecutive scoreless outings, not giving up a run in more than a month.
He has a 2.70 ERA, the third-lowest of any reliever, and has struck out 26 batters, while walking just eight.
The Pirates may not have expected Montgomery to pitch this efficiently when they landed him in the trade with the Tampa Bay Rays this offseason, but he's becoming their most reliable reliever at the moment.
Endy Rodríguez Makes Triumphant Comeback
Rodríguez had a tough task on his hands, as he made his season debut for the Pirates in that series finale vs. the Rockies.
He not only had to adjust to major league pitching at the plate after spending time down at Triple-A Indianapolis, but had to catch five different pitchers in this game too.
Rodríguez did both incredibly well, but his hitting stood out, with a leadoff double in the bottom of the second inning and then a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the third inning, scoring two runs to make it 5-0.
The Pirates have severely lacked offensive production this season from both catchers Henry Davis and Joey Bart, who is on the 10-day injured list with a left foot infection. Davis has slashed .151/.263/.256 for an OPS of .519, while Bart has hit better, .259/.290.379 for an OPS of .669, but is buoyed by a great start to May.
Rodríguez gave Pirates fans hope that he can still become that highly-touted prospect he was in 2023, but has missed recent chances due to missing almost all of the past two seasons with injuries surrounding his right elbow.
He'll continue getting these opportunities moving forward and if he can hit like this, the Pirates will have a tough decision when Bart returns from injury.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.