CHICAGO (AP) -- As hard as he is for opposing hitters to figure out, Gerrit Cole insists he is taking a simple approach on the mound.
Cole outpitched Jon Lester as the Pittsburgh Pirates hung on for their seventh straight win, beating Chicago 3-2 Friday to delay the Cubs' playoff celebration.
''There's a lot of extra noise that happens in September and I think the simpler you can keep things the better it is,'' Cole said.
Pittsburgh increased its lead for the NL's top wild card to 4 1/2 games over the Cubs, who would have secured their first postseason appearance since 2008 with a victory.