Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes takes the field to pitch against the Rockies on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, at PNC Park.
Paul Skenes took a slow stroll off the mound to a standing ovation, leaving a line of zeroes on the scoreboard after seven scoreless innings.
It was the punctuation on a dominant weekend series for Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers, who held the Colorado Rockies to only one run after they poured on 30 in three-game series at Coors Field from Aug. 1-3.
A four-run fourth inning that featured Jared Triolo's three-run home run was all the support Skenes needed in a 4-0 win Sunday afternoon before 20,300 at PNC Park.
It was the sixth sweep of the season for the Pirates and their first since taking three games at the San Francisco Giants from July 28-30. The Pirates scored 48 runs in the season series to break the club record for most runs in a six-game series in the modern era (since 1901), which was 46 against the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2016.
Skenes (8-9) lowered his ERA to an MLB-best 2.07 and his WHIP to 0.94 by striking out seven without a walk and allowing three hits in seven shutout innings for his 17th quality start in 27 outings this season. He surpassed his career high in innings (160 1/3) in the process and is now at 161.
Skenes helped himself in the third inning, when Kyle Karros hit a leadoff single. After Karros advanced to second on a fielder's choice, Skenes picked him off. Then he struck out Tyler Freeman to end the frame.
Brenton Doyle was the only Rockies player to reach base against Skenes after the third inning. Doyle reached on an error by first baseman Spencer Horwitz in the fifth and on a book-rule double in the seventh, when Skenes recorded three strikeouts to finish his outing.
Brown held the Pirates scoreless through the first three innings before they broke through in the fourth. Bryan Reynolds drew a leadoff walk and Andrew McCutchen singled to left. With two outs, Triolo smashed a first-pitch slider 412 feet into the left field bleachers for his fifth home run and a 3-0 lead.
After Henry Davis drew a walk then scored on Isiah Kiner-Falefa's double to left center, the Rockies brought in Angel Chivilli. Brown allowed four runs on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings in his debut.
After Isaac Mattson pitched a clean eighth, Dennis Santana gave up a two-out double to Hunter Goodman and walked Jordan Beck to put runners on first and second in the ninth before getting Doyle to ground out to second to clinch the sweep.