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Chacin toughs it out, shuts down Pirates

PITTSBURGH – Jhoulys Chacin was determined to eat up innings for his team and its weary bullpen. Absorbing a sharply-hit line drive off his pitching forearm wasn’t going to deter him.

Chacin allowed one run on six hits over eight innings and the Colorado Rockies snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Chacin (10-5), who has won seven of his past nine decisions, stayed in the game after a ball off the bat of Starling Marte deflected off his right forearm in the fifth inning.

“I didn’t want to come out; I just wanted to keep pitching,” said Chacin, who lowered his road ERA to 1.78. “It hit me good, but just I moved my hand and it felt fine.

“I really wanted to give the team seven or eight innings at least, so I was trying to do my job and help my bullpen, also. It was nice I was able to do that.”

Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki had a solo homer and an RBI single, and Todd Helton had a two-run single 16 years to the day after making his major-league debut in the same city.

The Rockies were coming off being outscored 40-13 by Atlanta in a four-game sweep at Turner Field. They won despite their lineup missing two of their best hitters for the second consecutive game – Michael Cuddyer is away on a family emergency and Carlos Gonzalez did not enter the game until in the eighth inning as a defensive replacement after aggravating a sprained right middle finger on Wednesday night.

After Friday’s game, Gonzalez expressed doubt he’d be ready to return to the lineup by Saturday but was encouraged it could happen Sunday.

Neil Walker had two doubles for the Pirates (65-44), who came in with the best record in the majors.

Pittsburgh has been outscored 17-2 in losing its past two after taking over the best record in the NL with four straight wins over the St. Louis Cardinals this week.

The Pirates scored in the ninth with consecutive one-out doubles by Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez off temporary closer Rex Brothers. But Russell Martin flied out to deep center and pinch-hitter Gaby Sanchez lined out to right to end it, earning Brothers his eighth save in nine opportunities.

“The scoreboard dictated the situation and what I was throwing,” Brothers said. “We had a three-run lead so I threw a lot of fastballs so they could put it in play.”

Pirates rookie Gerrit Cole (5-5) needed 102 pitches to make it through 5 1-3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Cole dropped to 1-5 since winning his first four major league starts.

“He came out of the chute good – then at times it seemed that he couldn’t put away the hitters because all the foul balls extended innings,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “He ran a lot of deeper counts that extended his pitch count. He didn’t allow much damage to be done, though.”

Chacin is 7-2 with a 2.24 ERA since June 11 – the same day as Cole’s debut.

Chacin retired the final 14 he faced – the last nine coming after Marte’s line drive deflected off his forearm to shortstop Tulowitzki, who threw to first to complete the putout.

Chacin grimaced and shook his arm, but appeared to tell catcher Wilin Rosario, manager Walt Weiss and a member of the training staff that he was fine. Chacin retreated from the dugout into the tunnel after the inning ended but returned for the bottom of the sixth following a lengthy wait because his team sent eight men to the plate and scored three runs in the top half.

“That thing hit him square, and I thought he might be done,” Colorado manager Walt Weiss said. “And he goes out there and gives us three more innings. Really an impressive showing.

“This year, we gave him the responsibility of being a top-of-the-rotation guy, and he’s taken it and he’s run with it.”

NOTES: Before the game, the Pirates swapped out a pair of relievers when they reinstated RHP Jared Hughes from the disabled list and optioned RHP Vic Black to Triple-A Indianapolis. … The paid attendance of 37,487 was the 10th sellout at PNC Park this season … This was the season’s first meeting between the teams; each has now played every NL team. … Helton went 2-for-4 with a home run while batting fifth and playing left field for the Rockies in his first game in the majors Aug. 2, 1997, at Three Rivers Stadium. … He’s 14 innings short of qualifying for the league leaders, but Saturday Pittsburgh starter LHP Francisco Liriano (11-4, 2.16) would rank second in the NL in ERA if he did. Rockies counterpart LHP Jorge De La Rosa (10-5, 3.21) allowed a season-high five runs in his most recent outing for Colorado.

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