Major League Baseball
Pittsburgh 10, Seattle 1
When: 7:05 PM ET, Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Temperature: 88°
Umpires: Home - Alfonso Marquez, 1B - Larry Vanover, 2B - Nic Lentz, 3B - David Rackley
Attendance: 35483

PITTSBURGH -- Gerrit Cole pitched a three-hitter and singled and scored Wednesday night as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Seattle Mariners 10-1 to gain a split of a two-game series.

Jung Ho Kang hit a bases-clearing double in a four-run seventh inning and Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run homer in the eighth after the Pirates built a 3-0 lead in the third.

Cole (6-6) finished with six strikeouts and no walks in his first career complete game. He had not won since May 20, thanks to some shaky starts and a little more than a month on the disabled list because of a right triceps injury. He was making his third start since coming off the DL.

Cole had three losses and three no-decisions since that May 20 start, when he allowed one run and 10 hits in a 2-1 win over Colorado.

The only run he allowed against the Mariners came in the sixth when Norichika Aoki led off with a double and later scored on Robinson Cano's sacrifice fly.

James Paxton (3-5), who ended a run of three starts without a win Saturday when he pitched seven innings in a 2-1 victory at Toronto, gave up three runs and six hits. He struck out six and walked one but labored at times, needing 97 pitches to get through five innings.

Right-hander Drew Storen, acquired a night earlier in a trade with Toronto, made his Seattle debut relieving Paxton. Storen pitched 1 1/3 innings and was charged with all four Pittsburgh runs in the seventh.

In the Pittsburgh seventh, Cole led off with a single, the first of five hits in the inning. Cole scored when Starling Marte drew a bases-loaded walk, and Kang followed with his three-run double.

In the eighth, McCutchen's drive over the center-field wall off reliever David Rollins made it 10-1. It was McCutchen's 15th homer of the season and the 166th of his career, tying him with Dave Parker for fifth in Pirates history. The four RBIs gave him 600 for his career.

There was no scoring for the first 2 1/2 innings, but the Pirates did provide a bit of extra entertainment in the top of the second.

First baseman David Freese bobbled a grounder hit his way by Aoki, but he recovered sufficiently to send a behind-the-back flip to Cole, who was headed to cover first. Cole made a barehanded grab and stepped on the base just ahead of Aoki.

Pittsburgh batted around in the third. It started when Josh Harrison tripled on a ball that bounced under sliding center fielder Leonys Martin -- Harrison rounded third with thoughts of an inside-the-park homer but had to scramble back to third. After Cole struck out, Jordy Mercer's double to left scored Harrison for a 1-0 lead.

Freese got an infield single, and McCutchen's double drove home Mercer to make it 2-0. Marte got grazed by a Paxton pitch to load the bases. Kang drew a walk to make it 3-0.

NOTES: Seattle OF/DH Nelson Cruz was not in the starting lineup on Wednesday. He fouled a ball off his left leg in Tuesday's game. Manager Scott Servais said it wasn't serious and that Cruz's leg already was banged up. He also noted if it was an American League park, Cruz probably would have been in the lineup as a designated hitter. ... Mariners RHP Taijuan Walker, who is on the disabled list because of right foot tendinitis, pitched a three-inning simulated game at PNC Park as scheduled. His next step is expected to be a minor league rehab start over the weekend. ... Seattle RHP Nick Vincent, who is on the disabled list because of a back strain, is scheduled to throw off the found Friday and probably will be on a rehab assignment next week. ... Facing a left-hander, the Pirates left RF Gregory Polanco out of the starting lineup. Polanco went 4-for-5 on Tuesday. ... Pittsburgh RHP Tyler Glasnow, who is on the disabled list because of right shoulder inflammation, is scheduled to begin playing catch over the weekend. ... Pirates C Chris Stewart, who is on the disabled list because of left knee discomfort, ran the bases and might go on rehab assignment as soon as next week. ... Both teams have a day off Thursday.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
Seattle   Pittsburgh
James Paxton Player Gerrit Cole
Loss W/L Win
5.0 IP 9.0
6 Strikeouts 6
6 Hits 3
5.40 ERA 1.00
Hitting
Seattle   Pittsburgh
Norichika Aoki Player Andrew McCutchen
2 Hits 3
0 RBI 4
0 HR 1
4 TB 7
.500 Avg .600
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
Seattle 3 0 5 .103 9 6 1 0 0 0
Pittsburgh 14 1 24 .378 17 9 10 3 1 1