Pirates 10, Brewers 3
PITTSBURGH - Gerrit Cole did something for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night that no one had done in over 100 years.
He became the first Pirates pitcher to win his first four career starts since Nick Maddox in 1907 in a 10-3 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park.
Cole (4-0) gave up three runs in the first inning, but no more, as he made it through six innings, allowing eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
Ryan Reid pitched three scoreless innings for his first major-league save.
Johnny Hellweg (0-1) failed to get out of the second inning in his major league debut, giving up seven runs - five earned - in 1 2/3 innings.
Pittsburgh'Hells Starling Marte had a double and triple among his three hits, and just missed a home run in the eighth when he flied out to deep center field.
Andrew McCutchen had three hits, including his ninth home run, and three RBIs for Pittsburgh. Pedro Alvarez added two hits to run his hitting streak to 11 games and Neil Walker hit a two-run double to start a seven-run second inning in which the Pirates sent 12 batters to the plate.
Carlos Gomez, who missed the previous three games with a sprained right shoulder, and Juan Francisco had two hits each for the Brewers.
After being staked to a 3-0 lead then retiring the side in order of the bottom of the first inning, Hellweg's debut turned into a nightmare when the Pirates scored seven runs in the second while sending 12 batters to the plate.
Neil Walker hit a two-run double to drive in Garrett Jones and Pedro Alvarez, who started the inning with singles.
Travis Snider walked, both runners moved up on Jordy Mercer's ground out, and Cole walked to load the bases.
Starling Marte singled in the tying run and Russell Martin followed with a grounder up the middle that shortstop Jean Segura misplayed for an error that enabled Cole and Snider to score. Andrew McCutchen and Alvarez capped the inning with RBI singles to put the Pirates on top 7-3.
The Pirates pushed their lead to 8-3 in the eighth when Marte hit a two-out RBI double.
The Brewers scored a run off Cole in the first before he retired a batter as Aramis Ramirez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. A second run scored when Jonathan Lucroy grounded into a double play and Juan Francisco's run-scoring single made it 3-0.
The Pirates added on in the later innings. Marte tripled and scored on McCutchen's double in the sixth, and McCutchen hit his ninth home run in the eighth.
NOTES: Milwaukee 1B Cory Hart will miss the rest of the season because of cartilage damage in his left knee and is scheduled for surgery July 26. He had been on the disabled list since the start of the regular season after undergoing right knee surgery in January. ... Brewers RHP Hiram Burgos was activated from the 15-day disabled list and optioned to Triple-A Nashville. He had been out since May 24 with a right shoulder impingement. ... Pittsburgh recalled INF/OF Josh Harrison from Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned C Tony Sanchez to the same club. ... Hellweg became the eighth Brewers player to make his major-league debut this season. ... Milwaukee RHP Donovan Hand will make his second major-league start Saturday night, facing Pittsburgh LHP Francisco Liriano.
