Cole outduels Cubs’ Lester

Associated Press

CHICAGO

While the attention was on Jon Lester’s quest for a second no-hitter, Gerrit Cole kept quietly matching zeros with him.

After the Pirates’ bats finally solved Lester and the Pittsburgh ace delivered a much-needed win, Cole had a message for the major league-leading Cubs, too.

Starling Marte singled with one out in the seventh inning to end Lester’s no-hit bid, then scored on Jung Ho Kang’s double to put Cole and Pittsburgh ahead to stay in a 2-1 victory over Chicago on Sunday.

Kang added an eighth-inning home run to help the Pirates beat the Cubs for the first time in six tries this season.

“It was just an opportunity to try to salvage the series,” Cole said. “I don’t really think they’re the best team in baseball.”

Cole (4-3) allowed three hits in eight shutout innings, striking out seven in a 95-pitch performance.

Mark Melancon gave up a run in a shaky ninth but held on for his 11th save in 12 chances to give the Pirates a lift after a frustrating two weeks against their NL Central rivals.

The Cubs took all three games in Pittsburgh early this month, then the first two in this series. Pittsburgh had been outscored 37-11 by Chicago while falling nine backs back in the division.

But Cole stopped that. The right-hander’s six wins against the Cubs since the start of 2014 are the most of any pitcher, and he hasn’t allowed a homer at Wrigley Field in 45 innings.

Lester (4-2), who threw a no-hitter with Boston in 2008, had permitted only two walks and retired 16 straight batters before Marte’s opposite-field liner to right on a changeup.

“Everybody in the park knows he’s got a no-hitter,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “He’s not winning.

“The longer you go without a hit and you think you can hit, the better your chances are to get one. We felt we were due. We felt we were due for a while against these guys.”