Mark Melancon

Cole posts majors-leading 12th win, Pirates beat Indians

Published Jul. 5, 2015 4:53 p.m. ET

foxsports

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Gerrit Cole overcame a rocky start for his major league-best 12th win and Andrew McCutchen's two-run double capped a five-run fifth inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied past the Cleveland Indians 5-3 Sunday.

Cole (12-3) set down his last 16 batters after the Indians scored twice in the second inning and once in the third to take a 3-0 lead.

Cole threw 106 pitches while allowing three runs and five hits in eight innings. He struck out five and walked one after going winless in his previous two starts while pitching a combined 11 1-3 innings.

Mark Melancon posted his NL-leading 27th save as the Pirates won for the fifth time in six games.

McCutchen's tiebreaking double off the top of the center-field fence was the last of six Pirates' hits in the inning off Danny Salazar (7-4).

Jung Ho Kang led off the fifth with a single and Pedro Alvarez followed with his 12th homer.

Chris Stewart singled one out later, was sacrificed to second by Cole, took third on Josh Harrison's single and scored the tying run on a single by Neil Walker. McCutchen then put the Pirates ahead.

Cleveland broke on top on RBI singles by Michael Bourn and Roberto Perez in the second inning and Michael Brantley in the third.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Pirates LF Starling Marte left the game because of discomfort in his left side while batting in the fourth inning. He motioned for a trainer after swinging and missing at a pitch.

UP NEXT

Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (10-6, 3.88 ERA) faces Houston LHP Dallas Keuchel (10-3, 2.03) on Monday night in the opener of a four-game home series. In Carrasco's last start, he lost his no-hit bid with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth at Tampa Bay.

Pirates: RHP A.J. Burnett (7-3, 2.05), who has a 1.77 ERA in last five starts, opposes San Diego RHP James Shields (7-3, 4.14) on Monday night to start a three-game home series.

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