Cole pitches Pirates to 3-2 win over Cubs

CHICAGO The Chicago Cubs got one last look at the starter they would face in the wild-card game and they couldn’t have been pleased.

Gerrit Cole and the Pirates beat the Cubs, 3-2, at Wrigley Field Friday and moved to 41/2 games ahead of Chicago in the standings. The Cubs can still clinch a playoff spot if the San Francisco Giants lose, while the Pirates are already assured of a postseason berth. The Pirates won their seventh game in a row.

Because the Cubs will win the season series between the teams, finishing with the same record would mean the Oct. 7 wild-card game takes place in Wrigley Field rather than PNC Park. So as the Pirates continue to chase the St. Louis Cardinals, who come to town next week for the season’s penultimate series, they also are trying to hold off the Cubs. Already assured of remaining ahead even if the Cubs swept this weekend’s series, the Pirates put more distance between them Friday.

Ten days after pitching a complete game against the Pirates at PNC Park, Cubs starter Jon Lester pitched well again. He held the Pirates to two runs in seven innings and struck out six without walking a batter.

Cole (18-8) was slightly better. He allowed one run and four hits, all singles, in seven innings. He is 11-2 with a 2.98 ERA in 16 career September starts.

Chris Denorfia doubled against Mark Melancon in the ninth with the Cubs trailing, 3-1. Starlin Castro, who was hitting .410 in his past 27 games entering the weekend, tripled and reduced the Pirates’ lead to 3-2. But Melancon struck out Jorge Soler and Javier Baez to save his 51st game.

Jordy Mercer doubled in the third and scored on Cole’s single up the middle.

Kris Bryant’s leadoff single in the fourth helped the Cubs tie the game. Anthony Rizzo lofted a well-placed bloop single into shallow right-center field. Chris Coghlan struck out, but Addison Russell beat out a double-play ball and Bryant scored.

Neither team scored again until the seventh when the Pirates took the lead. Aramis Ramirez doubled into the left-field corner, and pinch-runner Keon Broxton replaced him. Francisco Cervelli bunted Broxton to third and Michael Morse’s second hit of the game put the Pirates ahead, 2-1.

Pedro Strop struck out Mercer in the eighth, but the ball got away from Miguel Montero and Mercer reached first. Pedro Alvarez’s pinch-hit single put runners on the corners and Starling Marte’s high chopper to short was enough for Mercer to score.

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