PIRATES HOLD OFF ROCKIES, BUT JONES IS STRUCK ON HIS PITCHING ELBOW

The Pirates’ bullpen almost gave away another game in Colorado yesterday, but they pulled through and sealed a win over the Rockies.

Joe Block recaps a big offensive day for the Bucs.

Jake Mangum had three hits in the Pirates’ 13-hit attack and Bryan Reynolds and Nick Gonzalez each had two.

Starter Jared Jones left after the third inning when he was struck on the pitching elbow by a hard ground ball. The initial medical evaluation showed no structural damage, and he will be re-examined in Pittsburgh today. Manager Donnie Kelly said it was a scary sight to see Jones get hit.

Kelly liked the Pirates’ offensive approach.

Kelly says Gonzalez is a good hitter, and he’s proving it.

Gonzalez says he wasn’t sure he got enough of his home run to send the ball over the fence.

Relievers Yohan Ramirez and Evan Sisk gave the Pirates four scoreless innings. Sisk says that’s not easy to do in the thin air of Denver.

Before the game, general manager Ben Cherington told Pirates Insider on WCCS that Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz continue on the long road to reclaiming their spots in the lineup. Griffin is expected to begin a rehab assignment this week but Cruz has not begun baseball activities yet.

Cherington says Griffin’s steadily working to return from a forearm strain.