Right-hander Gerrit Cole earned his Major League-leading 12th win of the season as the Pirates reached the midpoint of their season with a 5-3 win over the Indians on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.
Cole pitched eight innings, struck out five and retired the final 16 batters he faced in Pittsburgh’s 81st game of the season. First baseman Pedro Alvarez started the Bucs’ big rally in the fifth with a two-run homer, and center fielder Andrew McCutchen finished it with a two-run double.
“Any amount of runs you give up early, you’re just trying to go deep into the ballgame at that point,” Cole said. “Trying to eat up some innings for the bullpen, keep your team in the game as long as you can because you never know what’s going to happen.”
Indians right-hander Danny Salazar faced just one batter over the minimum while striking out seven in his first four innings of work. But he quickly unraveled in the fifth, giving up six hits and exiting before he could finish the inning.
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