Cole strong again as Pirates edge Rockies
PITTSBURGH -- Gerrit Cole made his second successive effective start with the help of some strong Pittsburgh defense and the Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies for the eighth straight time dating to last season, winning 2-1 Friday night.
David Freese's RBI single drove in the go-ahead run in the Pirates' sixth, and left fielder Starling Marte made the lead stand up by throwing out Dustin Garneau as he tried to score Charlie Blackmon's two-out single in the seventh.
The Pirates won for the fifth time in six games and are 14-3 against NL West teams at PNC Park the last two seasons. The Rockies, 0-4 against the Pirates this season, are 1-3 to start a difficult a difficult three-city road trip to St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Boston.
Cole (5-3) wasn't as sharp as he was in pitching eight shutout innings against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, giving up 10 walks while not getting a strikeout in seven innings. But his defense turned double plays in each of the first two innings, and Marte -- who also scored the winning run -- threw out his sixth baserunner of the season, tying him in NL outfield assists with the Padres' Matt Kemp.
Cole, winning at PNC Park for the first time in three starts this season, was followed by Tony Watson, who pitched a scoreless eighth, and Mark Melancon finished up for his 14th save in as many opportunities despite giving up two hits.
The Rockies were limited to Nolan Arenado's MLB-leading 14th home run, which briefly tied it at 1 in the sixth. But the Pirates regained the lead in the bottom of the inning as Rockies starter Eddie Butler threw wildly trying to pick off Marte, who had singled. That put Marte in position to score on Freese's single.
Butler (2-2) gave up seven hits and struck out one over six innings.
NOTES: The Rockies underwent a bullpen shakeup, bringing up RHP Jordan Lyles and Miguel Castro from Triple-A Albuquerque and sending down RHP Scott Oberg. RHP Christian Bergman went on the disabled list with an oblique injury. .... Lyles was 1-1 in four starts earlier this season, but will move into Bergman's long reliever role. ... The Pirates gave 3B Jung Ho Kang the day off from starting despite his five homers in 35 at-bats since being activated May 6. INF David Freese started at third base. ... Rockies minor league RHP Jose Rodriguez was suspended for 72 games for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs -- in his case, an anabolic steroid. Rodriguez, 20, spent all of last season with the DSL Rockies of the Dominican Summer League. ... Pirates manager Clint Hurdle likes how John Jaso is getting comfortable at first base -- a position he played in only two major league games before this season.