Pirates Beatup on Rockies 8-1

Zach Duke allowed eight hits and walked four on his way to winning his third consecutive start and the Pirates(41-55) ended a five-game losing streak with an 8-1 victory over the Rockies(33-61).

Jason Bay went 3-for-4 with a homer that followed Matt Lawton's one-out single in the second to give the Pirates to a 7-0 lead. Bay had singled and scored in a five-run first off starter Jeff Francis. Humberto Cota also drove in three runs with two singles for the Pirates.

Rockies starter Francis (8-7) allowed seven runs off of eight hits and lasted just five innings. After winning three consecutive starts, Francis is 0-2 in his last three starts and has allowed 18 earned runs in that span.