SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Gerrit Cole struck out a nine to win his third straight start, Neil Walker hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the fifth after a pair of called strikeouts, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Monday night.
Andrew McCutchen had two likely hits stolen by great plays in the outfield and he instead settled for sacrifice flies against Ryan Vogelsong (4-3).
 
Cole strikes out season-best 9 as Pirates beat Giants
 
Cole (8-2) struck out the side in order in the fourth, then worked a 1-2-3 fifth before loading the bases with none out in the sixth. He got out of it with a strikeout of Brandon Belt and inducing Brandon Crawford's inning-ending double play.
Belt's two-run, two-out double in the first put San Francisco ahead in a rematch of the NL one-game wild card won 8-0 by the eventual champion Giants last October at PNC Park.
 

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