Gerrit Cole suffers first loss as Pirates fall to Phillies
By Todd Boyer
On Independence Day, the Pittsburgh Pirates hosted the Philadelphia Phillies in the finale of a three-game set at PNC Park. Bucs rookie starting pitcher Gerrit Cole gave up three runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings, as the Phillies prevailed 6-4 to win the series and hand the former No. 1 overall draft pick his first MLB defeat.
Jul 4, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Bucs opened the game up in the third inning, when Andrew McCutchen singled to center field, scoring Starling Marte and Jose Tabata to give the Pirates the early 2-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, the Phillies’ Ben Revere single to center, scoring Carlos Ruiz, cutting the lead to 2-1. In the sixth, Ruiz hit a two-RBI single to center, scoring Dominic Brown and Delmon Young to give Philadelphia a 3-2 lead.
Later in the sixth, Kevin Frandsen singled to right scoring Ryan Howard, extending Philadelphia’s lead to 4-2. Later Revere would ground into a fielder’s choice, scoring Frandsen giving the Phillies the 5-2 lead.
In the eighth, Michael Young hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring John Mayberry, Jr. extending the Philadelphia lead to 6-2.
In the bottom of the eighth, Garrett Jones singled to center scoring Marte, cutting Philadelphia’s lead to 6-3. Later, McCutchen grounded into a double play, scoring Jordy Mercer as the Bucs continued to cut into the Philadelphia lead, but it proved not to be enough as they fell 6-4.
Notes: The Pirates open a three-game weekend series versus NL Central rival Chicago on Friday at 4 p.m. Eastern. The Bucs are 6-2 versus the Cubs in 2013 while outscoring Chicago 25-15.