 during a two-run first. The Pirates added three more in the second, two on a double by Bryan Reynolds.McMahon hit is 19th in the second and Colorado added another in the third, but Bell and Osuna had solo homers in the fourth off Wes Parsons to make it 7-2. Bell's 35 homers are a franchise record for a switch-hitter.Joe Musgrove (9-12) went six innings to get his first win in six starts.TRAINER'S ROOMPirates: OF Gregory Polanco (left shoulder) was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.WAIVER WIREThe Pirates claimed left-handed pitcher Wei-Chung Wang off waivers from Oakland. Wang was 1-0 with a 3.33 ERA in 20 relief appearances with the Athletics. He is expected to join the team Tuesday.UP NEXTPittsburgh LHP Steven Brault (3-3, 4.06) will make his second career start against the Colorado. The Rockies have not announced a starter for Sunday.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Rockies' Melville takes hot streak into start vs. PiratesFLMThe disappointing season for the Colorado Rockies has opened up some opportunities, and Tim Melville has taken full advantage of his chance to get back to the majors.The journeyman right-hander will start Saturday in Denver against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team he has faced just one other team -- in his major league debut more than three years ago.Melville, then with the Reds, opposed Pittsburgh on April 10, 2016, and came away with a no-decision after working four innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 Cincinnati win.Heading into his Saturday outing against the Pirates, Melville has made a total of eight career major league appearances, five starts, while appearing for four teams. Even so, it's hard to argue that there's a better starter in the Colorado rotation right now. The competition is limited considering the top four starters from Opening Day are on the injured list.Melville (1-0, 0.75 ERA) has been brilliant in two outings since being promoted to the majors on Aug. 21. He gets his third start when he goes against Pittsburgh righty Joe Musgrove (8-12, 4.67 ERA) in the third game of a four-game series at Coors Field.Melville got his first major league win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 21, then pitched five scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Atlanta Braves on Monday. He got an ovation from the Coors Field crowd when he got out of a jam in the fifth inning Monday, and he tipped his cap to the fans."You dream about those moments all of the time," Melville said after Colorado's 3-1 win over the Braves. "I'm kind of hyperaware of the stuff that goes on around me, so I paid attention to it. It's important for me to acknowledge the crowd." The Rockies could use some positive highlights. This year, they are a mere 34-33 at home, a place where they've dominated over the years. Pittsburgh has added to that misery by winning the first two games of the series, improving to 13-4 at Coors Field since July 27, 2014.Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle spent six full seasons and parts of two others as the manager of Colorado. He didn't have his team take batting practice on Thursday after a long game in Philadelphia the day before. Hurdle measures his pitchers' effectiveness differently in Denver but still wants them to be aggressive."A lot of the parameters -- six innings, three runs (equals) a quality start -- just kick that off the table," Hurdle said Thursday. "You can have different numbers and have a quality start and help your team win a ballgame. Don't back off. You can't pitch carefully, and you can't pitch not to lose. Pitch to win, execute pitches, go get people out and do the best you can for as long as you can." Musgrove is scheduled to start against the Rockies for the second time in his career. His only other outing vs. Colorado came on Aug. 6, 2018, when he allowed two runs -- one earned -- over seven innings to take a hard-luck loss in Denver.He is coming off a strong start against the Phillies on Monday, when he allowed two runs in six innings, but the Pirates' bullpen couldn't hold a 4-2 lead in a game that Pittsburgh lost 6-5 in 11 innings.Two starts before that, Aug. 16 against the Chicago Cubs, he tied a career high with nine strikeouts over 7 1/3 inning but took a no-decision.--Field Level Media
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