Gerrit Cole proved resourceful and elusive on the mound, Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel slugged home runs in support and the Houston Astros claimed the opener of their three-game interleague series against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park.

Cole (7-5) posted a season-low three strikeouts across six strenuous innings. He produced just one clean frame, the top of the fourth, and that required a splendid catch at the wall from right fielder Josh Reddick, a grab that cost Pirates center fielder Starling Marte his 12th home run.

Cole stranded Colin Moran at second base in the second inning, Elias Diaz at third in the third, and struck out Kevin Newman with a pair of runners on to close the fifth. Cole did surrender a run-scoring single to Melky Cabrera in the sixth but, after loading the bases with two outs, preserved his one-run lead by getting Diaz to tap a grounder to first baseman Tyler White.

Despite allowing seven hits and issuing two walks, Cole departed with a 2-1 lead in his first appearance against the organization that selected him first overall in the 2011 draft.

Bregman extended that advantage with a solo shot leading off the bottom of the sixth, his 22nd home run upping the lead to 3-1. Pirates right-hander Trevor Williams (2-2) had already allowed a two-run homer to Gurriel with two outs in the fourth, a 392-foot shot to left that scored Bregman after he opened that frame with a double to left-center field.

Bregman scored again in the eighth when rookie slugger Yordan Alvarez ripped a double to right-center for his 17th RBI in 13 games.

Williams, making his second start after a month-long stint on the 10-day injured list, departed after surrendering a two-out single to George Springer in the seventh. He allowed four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings, tossing 100 pitches including 69 strikes.

Right-hander Collin McHugh worked a scoreless ninth for the Astros, his first appearance since May 14 following his recall earlier Tuesday off the 10-day IL.

--Field Level Media