PITTSBURGH — Ryan McMahon homered into the Allegheny River, Cal Quantrill pitched into the eighth inning and the Colorado Rockies finally held onto a lead during a 3-2 win over the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.
Colorado trailed in each of its first 31 games this season, a modern-era record. But not this time around.
“I’ll sleep a little better because I haven’t been sleeping well at all,” Rockies manager Bud Black said with a laugh after he was reminded that the streak was over. “Really, it’s been awful.”
McMahon put the Rockies in front when he opened the sixth inning with a drive over the right-field stands against Martín Pérez for his fifth homer. The ball splashed into the Allegheny 445 feet from home plate, the 71st time a home run has reached the water since PNC Park opened in 2001.
“It’s kind of like the goal of every hitter when you come in here to really juice one because you want to see it go in there,” McMahon said.
Elehuris Montero and Brendan Rodgers added RBI singles later in the sixth, and Quantrill (1-3) and two relievers did the rest as Colorado led wire to wire for the first time since beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 in September. The Rockies flirted with ending the streak this week in Miami when they took an early five-run lead on the Marlins only to fall in extra innings.
Colorado had allowed the first run of the game 25 times this season, which entering Friday was four more than any other team in the majors.
Jake Bird struck out Andrew McCutchen with two on to end the eighth. Jalen Beeks gave up a two-run homer to Oneil Cruz in the ninth that also reached the Allegheny, but he recorded two outs for his first save of the season.
The Rockies have now allowed at least one run in 83 consecutive games dating back to last season, the longest active drought without a shutout in the majors.
Quantrill beat the Pirates for the first time by limiting Pittsburgh to three hits with nine strikeouts. His only trouble spot came in the second when Rowdy Tellez and Jared Triolo singled with one out. Quantrill fanned Jack Suwinski and Joey Bart to end the threat, beginning a stretch in which he retired 18 of 19 batters. He was removed after hitting Bart with two outs in the eighth.
The victory was just the eighth in 32 games for Colorado, though Quantrill remains optimistic better days are ahead.
“This is a professional group and I still believe that we’re talented enough to win our fair share of baseball games,” Quantrill said.
Information from ESPN Stats & Information The Associated Press was used in this report.