Ohlendorf had solid outing, Pirates beat Colorado 7-3 to end an eight-game skid

Ohlendorf leads Pirates over Rockies, 7-3

DENVER — Ross Ohlendorf pitched solidly into the seventh inning, Andrew McCutchen stole three bases and scored three runs and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 7-3 on Tuesday night to end an eight-game losing streak.

Troy Tulowitzki, who had five hits, seven RBIs and hit for the cycle Monday night, homered in his first at-bat Tuesday, and Carlos Gonzalez also homered for the Rockies.

Todd Helton tripled and singled to extend his hitting streak to 16 games.

Ohlendorf (10-8) gave up three runs on six hits, walked two and struck out three in six-plus innings.

Jhoulys Chacin, making the first major league start, struggled with his command. Chacin (0-1) gave up one hit but allowed five runs and walked six in 2 2-3 innings.

Chacin’s control issues and sloppy fielding by Colorado allowed the Pirates to take the early lead. In the second inning, Ryan Doumit doubled, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch that rolled only a few feet from home plate.

After Tulowitzki’s 22nd homer tied the game 1-all in the bottom of the second, the Pirates pulled away in the third. McCutchen and Garrett Jones walked, and McCutchen scored on catcher Chris Iannetta’s throwing error on a double steal. After Steve Pearce walked to put runners on the corners, Josh Fogg relieved Chacin and gave up a two-run triple to Delwyn Young.

Young scored on Ronny Cedeno’s single to center to make it 5-1.

In the sixth, McCutchen led off with a walk, stole second and scored on Lastings Milledge’s double to right to make it 6-1.

The Rockies cut the lead to 6-3 on Gonzalez’s third home run of the season in the sixth and Seth Smith’s RBI double in the seventh, but the Pirates got one back in the eighth when McCutchen scored on Jones’ one-out double.

NOTES: Helton is one game shy of tying the longest hitting streak of his career, set June 15-July 2, 2003. … Colorado’s three errors ties a season high. … Rockies OF Dexter Fowler, who left Monday’s game after running into the center field wall in the ninth inning Monday night, was scheduled to have an MRI on his left knee Tuesday. … Rockies LHP Jeff Francis, who had surgery in spring training to repair a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder, threw 15 pitches off the mound Tuesday.