HOUSTON -- On the surface, it appeared that Gerrit Cole dominated his old team.
Cole allowed only one run in six innings against the Pirates, the team that drafted him first overall in 2011 from UCLA and watched him turn into an All-Star and 19-game winner.
However, the Pirates at least made Cole work Tuesday night before falling 5-1 to the Astros in the opener of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park. The Pirates (36-41) saw their four-game winning streak end.
Cole (7-5) needed 104 pitches to get his 18 outs.