ATLANTA -AP- Gerrit Cole pitched seven scoreless innings to win his fourth straight start, Starling Marte had a two-run single in the three-run fifth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves 3-0 on Sunday.Cole, the first overall draft pick of 2011, became the first Pirate since Emil Yde in 1924-25 with 30 victories in 53 or fewer career starts.Cole (9-2) allowed six hits, three walks and struck out seven, throwing 74 of his 116 pitches for strikes. He leads the NL in victories and with a 1.73 ERA. His 13 victories over his last 17 starts lead the majors over that span.Mark Melancon earned his 18th save in 19 chances, facing the minimum in the ninth by getting pinch-hitter Pedro Ciriaco to fly out and striking out Jace Peterson and Cameron Maybin . 
The Pirates have won five of six and 13 of 16. They've lost only two of their last nine series overall. Atlanta has dropped four of five.Alex Wood (4-3) allowed seven hits, three runs, one walk and struck out five in five innings before getting ejected, apparently yelling at home plate umpire Mark Carlson while walking off the field following the third out.Wood had won three straight starts with a 1.23 ERA during that span, but he dropped to 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA in four starts this year at Turner Field.The Braves' tempers were testy after Cole hit Freeman in the right leg to load the bases in the third and escaped the jam by striking out Nick Markakis and getting Juan Uribe to ground out.After Cole hit Andrelton Simmons in the left arm with a 99 mph fastball during the fourth, Simmons yelled back, but the situation didn't escalate.Wood threw inside at Cole, the second batter in the fifth, but apparently decided against hitting the pitcher as retribution.Following singles by Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer to load the bases, Wood struck out McCutchen, but Marte followed with a two-run single to make it 2-0, and Jung Ho Kang gave the Pirates a 3-0 lead with an RBI single.Carlson warned both benches in the seventh when Brandon Cunniff threw behind McCutchen, the 2013 NL MVP.Cole struggled with his command in the sixth, walking two straight to load the bases, but the right-hander ended the threat by striking out pinch-hitter Joey Terdoslavich.STILL GETTING IT DONEWood escaped a jam with runners on second and third in the first when Simmons, a two-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop, lunged to his right and made a turning jump off his left foot to throw out Kang at first.In the fourth, Simmons robbed Kang by snapping a hard liner.
The Pirates have won five of six and 13 of 16. They've lost only two of their last nine series overall. Atlanta has dropped four of five.Alex Wood (4-3) allowed seven hits, three runs, one walk and struck out five in five innings before getting ejected, apparently yelling at home plate umpire Mark Carlson while walking off the field following the third out.Wood had won three straight starts with a 1.23 ERA during that span, but he dropped to 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA in four starts this year at Turner Field.The Braves' tempers were testy after Cole hit Freeman in the right leg to load the bases in the third and escaped the jam by striking out Nick Markakis and getting Juan Uribe to ground out.After Cole hit Andrelton Simmons in the left arm with a 99 mph fastball during the fourth, Simmons yelled back, but the situation didn't escalate.Wood threw inside at Cole, the second batter in the fifth, but apparently decided against hitting the pitcher as retribution.Following singles by Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer to load the bases, Wood struck out McCutchen, but Marte followed with a two-run single to make it 2-0, and Jung Ho Kang gave the Pirates a 3-0 lead with an RBI single.Carlson warned both benches in the seventh when Brandon Cunniff threw behind McCutchen, the 2013 NL MVP.Cole struggled with his command in the sixth, walking two straight to load the bases, but the right-hander ended the threat by striking out pinch-hitter Joey Terdoslavich.STILL GETTING IT DONEWood escaped a jam with runners on second and third in the first when Simmons, a two-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop, lunged to his right and made a turning jump off his left foot to throw out Kang at first.In the fourth, Simmons robbed Kang by snapping a hard liner.
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