PITTSBURGH _ Right-hander Gerrit Cole's vexing inability to defeat the Cincinnati Reds continued Sunday at PNC Park, where Billy Hamilton flashed his glove and his blinding speed as the Reds raced to a 7-3 win. The visitors avoided a three-game sweep and stayed unbeaten against the Pirates ace.
In 5 2/3 innings, Cole (7-7) allowed four runs on three walks and three hits. The Reds also stole four bases off Cole and starting catcher Eric Fryer, and a fifth after Cole departed. Cole now is 0-6 with a 5.44 ERA in eight career starts against the Reds.
Hamilton was the head hustler. He was 3 for 4 with a walk and four stolen bases. He scored three times before being picked off by Francisco Cervelli in his final trip on the bases.
Reds right-hander Dan Straily did not allow a baserunner until the fifth inning. He allowed three hits over six innings, the only runs coming courtesy of Matt Joyce and Josh Harrison solo homers.
Cole's day began with a costly mistake: a leadoff walk to Hamilton. The Reds' spindly legged speedster stole second and third base. On a grounder to third, Hamilton waited out the throw across the diamond before betting again on his legs and beating John Jaso's wild throw home.
Brandon Phillips' two-out single scored Joey Votto, who had walked, and made it a 2-0 ballgame.
In the top of third, Hamilton doubled, stole third and scored on Votto's sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the inning, he streaked back toward the warning track and dived to steal extra bases from Fryer, a spectacular catch that further solidified his persona as a pesky Pirates killer.
Cole found his rhythm and set down 10 batters in a row before he walked Votto in the sixth. After Adam Duvall reached on a fielder's choice, he stole second and scored when Phillips dropped a single in front of diving right fielder Joyce. Cole's outing concluded there.
Straily carried a perfect game into the fifth inning before Joyce launched a leadoff home run to center field, his 12th homer this season. The next inning, Harrison hit his fourth.
Right-hander Jared Hughes surrendered three singles and a wild pitch in the seventh before manager Clint Hurdle called on right-hander Curtis Partch to get the final two outs of the inning. Both inherited runners scored before Partch got a double-play grounder, leaving the deficit 7-2.
The combustible Reds bullpen set to work settling the score in the seventh, as right-hander Rasiel Iglesias walked the bases loaded with no outs. Jordy Mercer groundout knocked in a run, and pinch-hitter Cervelli's single brought Harrison to the plate with the bases loaded.
Harrison, representing the tying run, hooked a ball foul in the left-field corner, then struck out.
The Pirates put two runners on base with no outs in the eighth against right-hander Michael Lorenzen. The rally died after Joyce struck out, Jung Ho Kang grounded out and Jaso struck out.
