After pair of one-run games, Rockies seek sweep against Pirates

The Colorado Rockies signed Michael Lorenzen to a one-year deal in the offseason to give the rotation a veteran presence.

Lorenzen has provided that steadiness despite struggling.

If the 1.80 ERA in his last two starts are an indication, the right-hander is finding a groove nearing the halfway point of the season.

Lorenzen (2-8, 7.13 ERA) will try to build on that momentum when he takes the mound for the Rockies against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon.

Pittsburgh will start right-hander Jared Jones (1-1, 6.23) in the finale of the three-game series in Denver.

Colorado won the first two games of the set in dramatic fashion. The Rockies survived a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the ninth to win 4-3 on Friday, and Pittsburgh again had the bases loaded on Saturday night, but the game ended when umpires ruled baserunner Billy Cook interfered with third baseman Kyle Karros as he fielded Jake Mangum's grounder. Colorado won 2-1.

Lorenzen has not won a game since April 24 and went 0-6 with a 9.84 ERA in his next seven starts. He followed that stretch with two straight outings against the Chicago Cubs, when he allowed just an earned run over five innings in both games.

The first start against Chicago came in Denver, where he has faltered all season. In his seven Coors Field outings, he is 1-3 with an 8.44 ERA.

"It can be frustrating," Lorenzen said recently. "It can wear on your mind. You've got to show up and try to get better each and every time."

He has fared well in 45 career games against the Pirates -- starting six -- and has a 7-3 record with a 2.72 ERA and two saves. He took the loss when he faced them in Pittsburgh on May 12 despite allowing just two earned runs over five innings.

Lorenzen was matched against Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in the Pirates' 3-1 win.

Jones didn't pitch in that series but has faced Colorado twice in his career, in 2024. On May 4 of that season, he allowed just one hit over seven shutout innings but didn't factor into the decision, and his other start came six weeks later in Denver when he gave up six runs over 4 2/3 innings and took the loss.

He owns a 4.63 ERA against the Rockies, but more immediate for him is bouncing back from a tough start against the Athletics on Monday night. He gave up five runs in four innings of an 11-2 Pittsburgh loss.

Jones has not pitched past the fifth inning this season as he works his way back from right elbow surgery that cost him all of 2025. But he is not using rust as a reason for not pitching deeper into games.

"That's just an excuse, and a pretty bad one if I'm being honest," Jones said. "I'm in the major leagues, and I'm out here to win baseball games. I haven't been doing that."

--Field Level Media