Phillies fall to Pirates for 9th straight road loss

PITTSBURGH -- Gerrit Cole allowed two runs in six innings to become the first pitcher in the majors to 10 victories this season as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Saturday.

Cole (10-2) struck out seven without a walk to trim his ERA to a major-league best 1.71 while winning his fifth consecutive start. The 24-year-old is now 14-2 in 18 starts dating to last September.

Starling Marte had three hits and an RBI for Pittsburgh. Gregory Polanco added two hits and Andrew McCutchen drove in two runs as Pittsburgh handed the Phillies their ninth straight road loss. Mark Melancon worked a perfect ninth for his 20th save.

Sean O'Sullivan (1-5) muddled through six innings, walking four with just one strikeout.

Ben Revere got three hits for the Phillies and Maikel Franco and Freddy Galvis each had two. Philadelphia went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position and has dropped eight of nine overall.

Cole's ascension from the top overall pick in 2011 to budding All-Star is picking up speed. He wasn't dominant against the Phillies, who nicked him for an unearned run in the first and an earned in the fourth but settled down to retire the final nine batters he faced before exiting with a 4-2 lead.

The Phillies wasted a chance to tie the game in the eighth off Tony Watson. Revere led off with a double and scored on a pinch-hit single by Jeff Francoeur to pull Philadelphia within one. The Phillies then loaded the bases with no outs, only to come up with nothing. Franco and Cody Asche hit into force plays at home and Galvis ended the threat with a routine grounder to second base.

Philadelphia actually hit Cole harder than the Pirates hit O'Sullivan, but Pittsburgh took advantage of the few opportunities it was given. The Pirates scored a pair of runs in the first when the Phillies twice unsuccessfully tried to throw out the lead runner on a fielder's choice. They added two more in the second on a single, a walk and two infield hits by Marte and McCutchen.

Staked to a 4-1 lead, Cole dug in. Franco doubled leading off the fourth and scored on a groundout by Galvis in the fourth but Cole would not allow another baserunner as the Pirates won their third straight and improved to 21-11 since May 9, the best record in the majors.

WORKED UP

Philadelphia reliever Ken Giles is an emotional guy. Those emotions got the best of him during Friday night's 1-0, 13-inning loss when Giles drew the ire of manager Ryne Sandberg for his actions during an eventful inning of work. Giles committed a throwing error, then became animated when ordered to intentionally walk Pedro Alvarez. Giles eventually escaped a bases-loaded jam when he struck out Jordy Mercer to end the eighth. The right-hander waved at Mercer as if shooing him back to the dugout. Sandberg took exception and confronted Giles in the aftermath, leading to a heated exchange in which neither player or manager held back. Giles admitted he got "a little too fired up" when the call for an intentional walk came in.

"I'm just out there to compete," Giles said. "I don't like giving freebies. I understand the situation of the game. I just don't like giving freebies. That's about it."

Giles promised it wouldn't happen again and isn't concerned about it becoming an issue with Sandberg.

"We settled that right after the game," he said. "Everything's buried in the dirt. Nothing to worry about."

UP NEXT

The series concludes on Sunday when Pittsburgh's A.J. Burnett (6-2, 2.11 ERA) faces Cole Hamels (5-5, 3.11). Burnett - who spent last season with the Phillies before turning down a player option to return in 2015, opting to sign with the Pirates instead - earned a 7-2 decision against Philadelphia on May 12. Hamels is 3-2 with a 2.73 ERA in eight career starts against Pittsburgh and gave up two runs in seven innings of a victory over the Pirates on May 13.