"If the Pirates' inability to win on the road really is mostly a mind-over-matter issue, then perhaps this will represent the first significant mental hurdle cleared.

Zach Duke pitched six solid innings, the bullpen put up three zeroes, the defense made all the plays, and Neil Walker had a clutch home run among his three hits to beat the Colorado Rockies, 4-2, Tuesday night at Coors Field.

1. Pitching.

2. Defense.

3. Timely hitting.

Sound like a formula?

"When you play on the road, that's what you need to do," manager John Russell said. "Zach did a good job, our bullpen did what they usually do for us, we caught the ball, Neil had a really big hit ... it was a very solid win for us."

Very much needed, too, and not just because the Pirates had lugged a four-game losing streak into the mountains.

Consider just the road factor: They had the worst record in Major League Baseball at 11-38, had lost 24 of the past 26, had not won anywhere other than Wrigley Field since May 25 in Cincinnati -- the first game of Walker's recall -- and, for the most part, looked terribly overmatched throughout.

But maybe they picked up something from San Diego over the weekend at PNC Park, given the Padres' pitching-defense-and-clutch approach to having the majors' best road record."