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Friday, Aug. 25 7:05pm ET
Pirates now have worst record in majors | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Neifi Perez insists he's hitting .300 because teammate Todd Helton is threatening to hit .400. Perez hit three doubles in going 4-for-4 and Julian Tavarez remained undefeated as a starter as the Colorado Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 Friday night. Helton went 0-for-2, dropping his average one point to .392. The Rockies first baseman was hit by a pitch in the right hand in his first plate appearance, and later had a sacrifice fly and RBI groundout. The perfect night raised Perez's average to an even .300, which he had established as a goal. "When you have a guy who's trying to hit .400 hitting behind you, you see some good pitches to hit," Perez said. "Right now I'm taking advantage of that and swinging the bat." Perez tied a Rockies record for doubles in a game -- several players have done it, including Perez earlier this season. He also had a two-run single that keyed a four-run fourth. Manager Buddy Bell said that seeing Helton crumple at the plate after being hit was "scary." "The ball hit him square," Bell said. "I actually thought it hit his helmet first." Helton said his hand was bruised, but that he expected to be able to play Saturday afternoon. "It didn't do as much damage as I thought," he said. "It scared me at the time." Tavarez (9-2) is 4-0 in six starts since he moved into the rotation when the Rockies traded Rolando Arrojo to Boston on July 27. Tavarez worked seven innings, matching his longest start of the season. He allowed three runs on nine hits with three walks and a strikeout. Tavarez said he didn't have his best repertoire because he didn't feel well. He became ill on the Rockies' flight from Denver and said he wasn't strong. "My body was weak and I think I let that get to my head," Tavarez said. Terry Shumpert opened the game with a single off Jimmy Anderson (4-7), Perez doubled and Jeff Cirillo had an RBI grounder. Anderson's throwing error on a potential double-play ball helped the Rockies score four times in the fourth. Colorado loaded the bases on singles by Butch Huskey and Ben Petrick and a walk to Jeff Frye. Tavarez tapped back to the mound, but Anderson's 45-foot toss to home plate was high and a run scored. An out later, Perez singled in two runs and Helton added an RBI groundout. "I was so worried about getting the double play and I should have been worried about getting the easy out," Anderson said. "I didn't have a good grip on the ball and I just kind of pushed it." Warren Morris led off the Pirates fifth with a double and Pat Meares walked. Pinch-hitter Enrique Wilson tripled in two runs and scored on Adrian Brown's single. The loss dropped the Pirates to 52-74, the worst record in the majors. Game notesRockies rookie Juan Pierre entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and struck out. He later grounded out, ending his 16-game hitting streak. Pierre's string was the longest to begin a major league career since at least 1975. Pierre had hit safely in his last 13 games at Double-A and his only four at Triple-A, giving him a 33-game streak over three levels. ... Helton had hit safely in 11 consecutive road games. ... The Pirates are a season-low 22 games under .500. They had been 21 under four times. ... Anderson has allowed 14 earned runs in his four starts, covering 19 innings. ... Brown, trying to win a starting job as the Pirates center fielder, was 3-for-3 with a walk and has an eight-game hitting streak. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Colorado Clubhouse Pittsburgh Clubhouse Helton will get little rest in .400 chase
RECAPS Baltimore 4 Tampa Bay 3
Los Angeles 3
Colorado 6
San Francisco 16
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