Be ready to bust out the brooms on a sunny Father’s Day afternoon. After back-to-back nights with nail-biting conclusions in the ninth inning, the Colorado Rockies are somehow on the verge of sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Denver. It’s the first day of summer, the forecast is for clear skies and high temperatures, and the ball might be flying with today’s pitching match-up.
Right-handed veteran Michael Lorenzen has struggled through the spring with the Rockies. His 12 home runs allowed are the second-most among the pitching staff and his ERA has been below 6.00 just once so far. He has especially struggled at Coors Field with an 8.44 ERA over seven starts.
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However, Lorenzen might finally be turning a corner. The 34-year-old is coming off of his best two starts of the season—interestingly enough both against the Chicago Cubs. In both starts—one on the road and one at home—Lorenzen gave up just one earned run with minimal walks and at least five strikeouts while working for five innings.
Right-handed pitcher Jared Jones will be on the bump for the Bucs this afternoon. Jones is making his fifth start of the season after completing his rehab from Tommy John surgery, which robbed him of his 2025 campaign after a promising 2024.
Jones enters today’s game with a 6.23 ERA and four home runs allowed, but 18 strikeouts over 17.1 innings of work. His last outing came against the Sacramento Athletics, where he worked four innings and gave up five earned runs on eight hits—two of which were home runs.
In two career starts against the Rockies, Jones has given up six earned runs on seven hits with a home run and has struck out 16 batters in 11.2 innings. His primary pitch is a high velocity four-seam fastball that averages 98.8 MPH and he backs it up with a slider, a changeup, and a curveball.
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First Pitch: 1:10 pm MDT
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)
Pirates SB Nation Site: Bucs Dugout
Lineups:
For the visiting Pirates:
And the home Rockies:
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