Cole gets win No. 17 in 4-3 Pirates victory over Dodgers

LOS ANGELES On a scorching Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, right-hander Gerrit Cole frustrated plenty of opposing hitters. Starling Marte and Pedro Alvarez homered to power a 4-3 Pirates win and take the road series two games to one.

The Pirates (89-60) improved to 33-17 in one-run games, by far the best such mark in the majors. They remain four games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals but gained a game on the Chicago Cubs and now lead by two in the wild-card race.

With temperatures climbing near triple-digit degrees, Cole (17-8), a Southern California native, scattered six hits and three runs over seven innings. He struck out nine and walked none.

For the second night in a row, Tony Watson pitched a scoreless eighth, and Mark Melancon closed it out. Melancon extended his single-season club record with save No. 48.

Marte, Alvarez and Aramis Ramirez each had two hits, while Andrew McCutchen added an infield single and tied a career-high with four walks.

After facing Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw, both former Cy Young winners, in the first two games of the series, the Pirates feasted on right-hander Mike Bolsinger (6-4). He gave up five hits and four runs, three earned, in 4 1/3 innings. He walked three and served up two solo home runs.

Before the Pirates charged ahead with single runs in the second, third, fourth and fifth, Cole’s start began in familiar fashion. The Dodgers’ run in the first marked the ninth time in the past 11 games the Pirates allowed a first-inning score.

After Carl Crawford’s leadoff triple, Cole nearly escaped unharmed. But Andre Ethier stroked a 2-2, two-out slider into center for an RBI double. Cole struck out the side but spent 25 pitches and trailed, 1-0.

The Dodgers (85-63) gave a run back in the second on a two-error play. With two outs, Cole grounded a ball off Bolsinger’s mitt. The pitcher recovered, but his underhand toss skipped past first baseman Scott Van Slyke. Francisco Cervelli scored, and Van Slyke’s throw home bounced into the stands.

After Alex Guerrero drove in Joc Pederson with a double down the line in the second, Marte threw out Guerrero at second to end the inning. It was Marte’s National League-leading 15th outfield assist this season most by a Pirates outfielder since Jose Guillen had 16 in 1998.

Almost single-handedly, Marte shifted momentum back toward the Pirates.

On the next play, Marte hit a 426-foot solo home run that landed halfway up the bleachers in left-center field. It was his 17th home run this season, his fourth since the All-Star break.

Alvarez followed suit in the fourth. He sent Bolsinger’s 1-1, one-out curveball to center for his 25th home run this season 21 of his blasts have been solo shots.

With career homer No. 129, Alvarez passed Richie Hebner for 13th place on the Pirates’ all-time home run list. Next on the list is Al Oliver, who hit 135 homers.

In the fifth, Gregory Polanco dropped a bunt single, and McCutchen walked for the third time, ending Bolsinger’s outing. Right-hander Yimi Garcia got ahead 0-2 before Aramis Ramirez pulled a run-scoring single to left, giving the Pirates a 4-2 lead.

After Yasmini Grandal flied out and broke his bat in anger, Van Slyke belted a ball over the center-field fence, drawing the Dodgers back within a run. Van Slyke is the son of Andy Van Slyke, a longtime Pirates center fielder.

Josh Harrison’s two-out infield single in the ninth seemed to load the bases for Neil Walker, but Marte, thinking Harrison had been thrown out at first, was caught in a rundown between third and home and was tagged out to thwart the scoring chance.

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