Gerrit Cole’s return lasted two innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates dropped a 6-2 game to the Philadelphia Phillies.
This extends their losing streak to four games and 12 of the past 14 with 10 consecutive road games to go.
Cole (7-10) needed 55 pitches to get through those two innings and was erratic walking four batters and allowing four hits.
Though the damage all came in a five-run second inning, Cole was actually given a 1-0 lead when Gregory Polanco reached base on a force play when Ryan Howard committed an error.
Cole faced Freddy Galvis with one out and a 1-0 pitch was turned around for a game-tying home run. It was Galvis’s 18th homer of the season.
Odubel Herrera then followed with a single and advanced to second base on a passed ball. He then scored when Cody Asche recorded his 15th double of the season.
Cole then committed the cardinal sin of walking his mound opponent Jeremy Hellickson.
A Ray Searage mound visit ended up not making much of a difference, and Cole followed the meeting walking Cesar Hernandez and then allowed a double to Roman Quinn which scored two runs.
The second-inning scoring concluded when Maikel Franco hit an RBI ground out.
An additional Phillies run was tacked on in the sixth inning off Antonio Bastardo. Hernandez walked again and Quinn contributed his second double of the game and season which scored the run.
Jeanmar Gomez came on in the ninth and Jung Ho Kang hit a single that the Phillies pitcher threw away while trying to show range and earn an out. Kang took second on the miscue.
Kang would score two batters later when Sean Rodriguez singled him in on a 1-2 pitch.
Now at 69-73 the Pirates will continue their road trip when Ivan Nova (12-6, 4.13 ERA) takes on Alec Asher (1-0, 0.00 ERA). Nova is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in one career start against the Phillies.
