Several members of the media stood along the wall of the PNC Park news conference room, space being tighter than usual after Monday’s home opener. Tucked behind them in the corner, almost out of sight, was Gerrit Cole, waiting for his turn to speak. There was not much he could say, though, to add to his earlier performance.
Cole’s six-plus strong innings and the offense’s three home runs helped the Pirates beat the previously undefeated Detroit Tigers, 5-4. The regular-season PNC Park record crowd of 39,933 watched the Pirates turn two timely double plays and hold on for a victory after Mark Melancon almost surrendered the lead in the ninth inning.
Cole (1-0) allowed only two baserunners in his first six innings of work, a Nick Castellanos single in the second and an Alex Avila walk in the fifth. He struck out four consecutive batters between the third and fourth innings and finished with eight on the day. He did this against a lineup that led the majors in runs, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage after a 6-0 start.
“That’s a lineup that’s playing as big as any lineup in the major leagues right now,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “The fastball command makes [Cole] dynamic because then the other pitches just play.”
With Cole still pitching, Miguel Cabrera singled in the seventh, and after a close two-strike call, J.D. Martinez walked. Yoenis Cespedes served a slider into left field to load the bases with no outs.
“There were a couple calls that we felt we didn’t get,” Hurdle said. “There might have been some that they felt they didn’t get as well, but you play the game.”
Said Cole: “Once the ball leaves your hand, it’s out of your control.”
See photos from the game on Wide View
Needing a ground ball for a double play, Hurdle called for sinkerballer Jared Hughes, and the move worked perfectly: Castellanos grounded into a 6-4-3 double play on the first pitch he saw. One run scored, but Hughes got Avila to pop out and end the inning. In six-plus innings, Cole allowed the one run, three hits and two walks.
“I think we used the inside of the plate well, I think we used the outside of the plate well,” said Cole, who kept the ball down in the strike zone and effectively used both his breaking pitches.
The first and last pitches Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez threw left the ballpark. Planning to get ahead of Josh Harrison, the first Pirates batter of the game, Sanchez threw a first-pitch, belt-high fastball down the middle of the plate. Harrison hit it out to right-center field for his first home run and the Pirates had an immediate 1-0 lead. Harrison had the day off Sunday after an 0-for-12 streak that included five strikeouts.
“It’s a good feeling to be able to get on the board right away,” Harrison said.
Sanchez settled down and retired 10 consecutive batters from the third to the sixth inning. That stretch ended when Pedro Alvarez hit his third home run of the season on a first-pitch slider in the seventh. Alvarez has homered on the first pitch on each of his three home runs this season.
“He’s never one that’s been afraid to work and he’s not afraid to go out there and expose himself to commit to whatever he needs to commit to, to get better,” Hurdle said. “He’s given us some really consistent at-bats early in the season.”
Three batters later, after Francisco Cervelli’s infield single, pinch-hitter Corey Hart homered to left-center, ending Sanchez’s outing. He struck out nine without walking a batter, but allowed five runs and eight hits in 6⅓ innings.
Melancon entered the ninth in a non-save situation, with the Pirates leading, 5-1. He surrendered consecutive doubles to Ian Kinsler and Cabrera, which scored one run, and a home run to Martinez that brought the Tigers within one run. Cespedes singled, but Castellanos again grounded into a double play and usual designated hitter Victor Martinez, relegated to the bench and pinch-hitting duty in a National League ballpark, struck out to end the game.
Bill Brink: bbrink@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrinkPG.
First Published: April 13, 2015, 8:15 p.m.
