Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado collapsed on the diamond after fielding a ground ball hit by Pittsburgh Pirates’ Jordy Mercer during the ninth inning and was pulled from the game after the play.
DENVER – Starling Marte drove in two runs, and the Pittsburgh Pirates closed in on their third consecutive playoff berth by beating the Colorado Rockies 6-3 on Tuesday night.
The Pirates reduced their magic number to one for securing at least an NL wild card. A loss by San Francisco, which played later at San Diego, or a win Wednesday against the Rockies would clinch another trip to the postseason.
Pittsburgh also kept pace with NL Central leader St. Louis. The Cardinals beat Cincinnati to maintain a four-game lead over the second-place Pirates.
Pittsburgh scored in each of the first four innings against Chris Rusin to build a 6-3 lead.
