PITTSBURGH -- Several impressions were left by the Pirates' 4-3 victory over San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon at PNC Park.One, Andrew McCutchen really enjoys hitting against one of the better pitching staffs in baseball; he went 2-for-4 and now is 25-for-54 (.463) in his last 13 games against the Giants.Two, Travis Snider might have a future as the leadoff hitter the Bucs have been seeking; in his second start of the season atop the lineup -- and only third in the last four years -- Snider set up one rally and cleaned up another.Three, there does not appear to be a conspiracy against Pittsburgh starting pitchers getting a win, as Gerrit Cole went eight innings to nail down his third. 
He allowed seven hits and three runs, walking one and fanning seven.Fourth -- and this is related to No. 3 -- while many athletes are fueled by adrenaline, Cole's tank has emotion. Twice on Wednesday, it was overfilled, and his ability to cap it off both times enabled the Pirates' to take the rubber game from the Giants.Given his emotional pattern, pitching coach Ray Searage made sure to visit the mound in the fourth, when Cole had a 4-1 lead but also Giants on second and third, only one out, and Brandon Crawford stepping in as the potential tying run.Thus calmed down before pitching in the key situation to his girlfriend's brother, Cole needed only two pitches to get Crawford to pop out to third baseman Pedro Alvarez, then only one more to retire the side on a liner to center by Brandon Hicks.Leveling off No. 2 came in the bottom of the sixth, when Cole was unable to follow Chris Stewart's leadoff single with the requisite sacrifice bunt, instead ending up bouncing into a double play. The toll of the omission became evident seconds later, when Snider drilled a triple that couldn't change the score, keeping Cole's lead at 4-3.Brandon Belt hit his ninth home run in the first, but Cole did not trail for long. In the bottom of that inning, McCutchen singled to score Snider then scored himself on Starling Marte's double. The next inning, instead of setting the table, Snider cleared it, pulling a two-run single into right for a 4-1 lead.San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy's decision to end starter Tim Lincecum's outing after four innings, and 88 pitches, immediately paid off. Pablo Sandoval, batting for Lincecum with one out in the fifth, drilled a first-pitch single to ignite a rally converted on Belt's double.Tom Singer / MLB.com
He allowed seven hits and three runs, walking one and fanning seven.Fourth -- and this is related to No. 3 -- while many athletes are fueled by adrenaline, Cole's tank has emotion. Twice on Wednesday, it was overfilled, and his ability to cap it off both times enabled the Pirates' to take the rubber game from the Giants.Given his emotional pattern, pitching coach Ray Searage made sure to visit the mound in the fourth, when Cole had a 4-1 lead but also Giants on second and third, only one out, and Brandon Crawford stepping in as the potential tying run.Thus calmed down before pitching in the key situation to his girlfriend's brother, Cole needed only two pitches to get Crawford to pop out to third baseman Pedro Alvarez, then only one more to retire the side on a liner to center by Brandon Hicks.Leveling off No. 2 came in the bottom of the sixth, when Cole was unable to follow Chris Stewart's leadoff single with the requisite sacrifice bunt, instead ending up bouncing into a double play. The toll of the omission became evident seconds later, when Snider drilled a triple that couldn't change the score, keeping Cole's lead at 4-3.Brandon Belt hit his ninth home run in the first, but Cole did not trail for long. In the bottom of that inning, McCutchen singled to score Snider then scored himself on Starling Marte's double. The next inning, instead of setting the table, Snider cleared it, pulling a two-run single into right for a 4-1 lead.San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy's decision to end starter Tim Lincecum's outing after four innings, and 88 pitches, immediately paid off. Pablo Sandoval, batting for Lincecum with one out in the fifth, drilled a first-pitch single to ignite a rally converted on Belt's double.Tom Singer / MLB.com
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