PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates had a plan for Gerrit Cole when they drafted the hard-throwing right-hander with the top pick in the 2011 amateur draft. They hoped Cole would develop into one of the franchise cornerstones, and two years later he may already be there. The 23-year-old dominated the San Diego Padres on Thursday, striking out 12 to lead the Pirates to a 10-1 romp and stop a three-game losing streak. Pittsburgh moved a game in front of Cincinnati for the top wild card spot in the NL after Cole (9-7) pitched his third straight gem. "He continues to grow right in front of our eyes," manager Clint Hurdle said. Cole is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA and 28 strikeouts in his last three starts, each following a Pittsburgh loss. Overwhelming the Padres with a fastball topping out in the high 90s and a curveball seeming to improve by the pitch, Cole prevented a sweep that would have put a dent in his teams pursuit of its first division title since 1992. "We just couldnt get to the fastball," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "I think we knew it was coming but he located some pitches, threw down and away well. He pitched in. He pitched up (and) mixed it up a little bit with the slider and the changeup." And for once, Cole received some help at the plate. Held to four runs and 11 hits in the first three games of the series, the Pirates pounced on starter Ian Kennedy (6-10) for six runs while putting together their biggest offensive outburst in nearly a month. Neil Walker had four hits, including his 11th homer of the season, and drove in three runs while Pedro Alvarez hit his NL-leading 34th homer for Pittsburgh. Jose Tabata added two hits and three RBIs as the Pirates regained some momentum heading into the biggest series in the 12-year history of PNC Park. "If you would have told us we were going to win one of four in this last series, Ill take the last one, thats for sure," Walker said. "Its certainly not the best feeling. This wasnt our best series playing a team people probably think we should beat, but thats baseball." And meaningful baseball at that, something not seen in September in Pittsburgh since Barry Bonds was hitting balls over the fence at Three Rivers Stadium in 1992. The Pirates ended 20 years of losing earlier this month and have their sights set on a playoff spot. Pittsburgh inched closer to extending its season beyond Sept. 29 by showcasing the resiliency thats become the teams trademark. The Pirates were in position to beat San Diego on Wednesday night when closer Mark Melancon surrendered two runs in the ninth to blow his third save of the season. Given 12 hours to get over it, they responded emphatically. Coles main weakness may be that he gets too fired up. His ERA in the first inning rose to 6.00 when Tommy Medicas two-out RBI single gave the Padres an early lead. It was the lone hiccup on a day he bolstered his case to earn a start in October if the Pirates make it that far. Pittsburgh can get there if it can find any sort of consistency at the plate. After gasping for three days, they rediscovered some pop against a team at the end of a wearying 10-game road trip. Making a spot start while leadoff hitter Starling Marte spent the day in the hospital helping his wife welcome their first child, Tabata scored on a fielders-choice grounder by Andrew McCutchen to tie it in the first. Three innings later, Alvarez crushed a belt-high Kennedy pitch and sent it nearly to the concourse behind the seats in centre for just his second home run in 22 games. The homer sent a jolt through Pittsburghs dugout. Tabata hit a two-run double with two outs, and Walker followed with a shot to right that climbed just over the top of the Clemente Wall for a 6-1 lead. Cole worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the fifth and completed his career day by striking out Nick Hundley swinging. The burly right-hander pumped his first in celebration as he walked off the mound. The Pirates hadnt won a game by more than two runs since knocking off Milwaukee 5-2 on Sept. 2. NOTES: Hurdle said he hasnt set a rotation for the final week of the season. If the Pirates dont make any changes, ace Francisco Liriano would be available to pitch the opening game of the post-season. Liriano (16-7, 2.29 ERA) will start Friday night against Cincinnatis Mat Latos (14-6, 3.14) ... Pittsburgh C Tony Sanchez had 2 of his teams 14 hits and made an acrobatic grab in the eighth when he hauled in a foul pop by Chris Denorfia, flipping into the Padres dugout in the process ... San Diego begins a three-game series at home on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Robbie Erlin (2-3, 5.18 ERA) will face Edinson Volquez (9-11, 5.94). Custom Devils Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Adam Henrique Jersey . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. http://www.hockeydevilsshop.us/Kyle-Palmieri-Jersey/ . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Jamie Langenbrunner Devils Jersey . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. Damon Severson Jersey . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action.TORONTO -- Zach Collaros has shown a penchant for leading his team to comeback wins, while Adam Bighill is a headache for opposing offences week after week. They were rewarded for their consistent play Wednesday by the CFL, joining Rene Paredes and John Cornish as recipients of player of the month awards for September. Toronto quarterback Collaros took the offensive award, helping his team to a 4-0 record over the month. Not only did he ably replace injured star quarterback Ricky Ray, but all four wins were come-from-behind victories on the road. The Argos became the first team in league history to sweep a four-game road trip, a scheduling rarity in the CFL. Collaros recorded 1,043 passing yards over the month, completing 90 of 140 attempts (64.3 per cent) with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. His best performance was in Week 12 when he passed for 330 yards and threw four touchdowns in Torontos win over Calgary. B.C. linebacker Bighill earned defensive honours after posting 24 tackles, five special team tackles, two sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and a touchdown to help the Lions clinch a playoff spot and move ahead of Saskatchewan in the West Division standings. Bighill was reccognized as defensive player of the week twice in September.dddddddddddd His best performance came in last weekends win over Winnipeg, as he recorded 10 tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles, while returning a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown. Bighill is fifth in the league in tackles with 67 and is tied for second on the Lions with five sacks on the season. Calgary kicker Paredes was named the special teams player of the month after he went 12 for 13 on field-goal attempts in September. In a Week 11 win over Edmonton, Paredes hit all five field-goal attempts, including a 50-yarder. Paredes, a product of Concordia, leads the league in kicking points with 152 and is 38 of 40 (95%) on field goals this season. Stampeders running back Cornish was named the Canadian player of the month. The New Westminster, B.C., native rushed for 398 yards on 58 carries and collected 85 yards and a touchdown on 13 receptions as Calgary went 3-1 over the month. Cornishs best performance came in the Week 11 win over Edmonton. He rushed for 131 yards on 14 carries and had six receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown. Cornish has rushed for 1,207 this season and trails league leader Kory Sheets by only 15 yards. Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '