David Zalubowski, Associated Press photos Freddy Sanchez scores on a single by Jose Castillo as Rockies catcher J.D. Closser waits for the throw in the fourth inning last night in Denver. Click photo for larger image. ON DECK: Tuesday at Rockies, 9:05 Paul Maholm (2-4) vs. Jeff Francis (3-5) FSN/KDKA-AM Wednesday at Rockies, 3:05 Oliver Perez (2-6) vs. Josh Fogg (3-4) KDKA-AM Thursday at Giants, 10:15 Zach Duke (4-6) vs. Matt Cain (4-5) FSN/KDKA-AM More Coverage: Pirates plan to pursue Casey extension Bay, Castillo double up on league honors Pirates Notebook: Doumit out 6-8 weeks with torn hamstring Pirates likely to select a pitcher in first round Doug Drabek's son throws his name into draft pool as pitching prospect Cook: Clemens' bounty hurts Astros Game Statistics Provided by Forecaster Pirates vs. Rockies box score Game play-by-play

DENVER -- It did not matter that the Pirates had to adjust to the high altitude and humidors of a hitter's paradise.

Nor that they had won four of their first 26 games beyond Pittsburgh city limits.

Not once they saw Ian Snell's first few offerings from the Coors Field mound last night.

"You could tell things were going to be good right away," catcher Ronny Paulino would say later. "He had everything. Every pitch."

In the end, too, Snell and his teammates had everything they had hoped to achieve with the opening of this seven-game trip: His 10 strikeouts were a career high, the offense uncorked one timely hit after another, and the result was a thorough, 5--2 thumping of the Colorado Rockies.

Snell's outing was neither his longest nor his flashiest. He lasted 6 1/3 innings and was charged with two runs on six hits and a walk.

Still, it might have been the finest pitching he has done in his fledgling career, in large part because of an unwavering ability to throw his entire repertoire -- not just that 95-mph fastball -- for strikes.

"He had a lot of depth to his sinker, a great changeup, a tight slider, and he moved the ball to both sides of the plate," manager Jim Tracy said. "And he had them all right from the get-go. When he does that, he's difficult to face. I'll tell you: I know he's had some good games. But I don't know if he's pitched better than this."

"His command was very, very good," pitching coach Jim Colborn said. "He's learning about himself, about his delivery, and there certainly has been gradual improvement."

Since opening the season 0-2 through four starts and coming perilously close to being returned to the minors, Snell has surged to a staff-best 6-3.

Early on, he was leaning far too heavily on his fastball, and opponents fed off it. Last night, he was dangling the heat like a carrot, as he neatly explained afterward.

"I just kept them off balance," Snell said. "I could tell that a lot of them were late on fastballs, kept fouling them back. Once you see that, it's just setting them up. I set them up pretty good tonight, to where, if they were going to chase one breaking ball, they were going to chase another. They'd think I was coming back with another breaking ball, and they'd get the fastball. And then another breaking ball."

Pirates' Ian Snell puts the bat on the ball for a sacrifice bunt on a pitch from Rockies starting pitcher Aaron Cook in the fourth inning last night in Denver. Click photo for larger image.

Whatever the pitches, most found the zone, 66 of 94 registering as strikes.

"I was throwing them all where I wanted to, and that's all that counts," Snell said. "And my teammates helped me out a lot."

Salomon Torres, Damaso Marte and Mike Gonzalez capped the evening with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, and the offense shrugged off the Sunday shutout by San Diego's Chris Young with a dozen-hit output.

The latter included continued contributions from the 6-7-8 spots in the order. Freddy Sanchez went 3 for 5 to pump up his average to .352, coming through with two-out, RBI singles in the fifth and seventh innings. Jose Castillo had an RBI single, too, bringing home Sanchez after a leadoff double in the fourth. And Paulino, the No. 8 hitter, went 3 for 4.

"When you're getting that kind of production from the lower part of your lineup, you're going to score runs," Tracy said. "We had some big hits from all over."

That clutch element -- cleanup man Jason Bay also had a two-out single, in the first inning -- had the Pirates up, 3-0, when Colorado appeared poised to strike in the bottom of the fifth.

Brad Hawpe opened with a triple, followed by J.D. Closser's walk. Clint Barmes brought in Hawpe with a sacrifice fly, but there would be no more.

Closser took second on a sacrifice bunt, and Snell fanned Omar Quintanilla, swinging over a devastating slider.

"Great job," Tracy said. "That's growth by a young guy right there."

The Pirates added to their lead, 5-1, in the seventh, and Snell would exit in the bottom half after the Rockies opened with two singles and a flyout. Torres allowed pinch-hitter Ryan Spilborghs' RBI single, then got Quintanilla to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Coming off a 7-3 homestand and owning a 17-14 mark at PNC Park, the Pirates had spoken beforehand of wanting to shake the stigma of losing on the road.

"It was a very good step, one that was necessary," Tracy said. "There has to be an understanding that that you'd want to follow up that type of homestand with a good trip."

Colorado has lost a season-high six in a row.