The Pirates beat the Dodgers 4-3 Sunday afternoon to keep pace with the Cardinals in the NL Central. Gerrit Cole pitched seven innings without walking a batter, striking out nine along the way. The Pirates bullpen pitched two perfect innings for the save, number 48 for Mark Melancon.

The maximum number of wins for a three-way tie in the NL Central is down to 99 due to the Cubs loss.

• Cardinals 6-7
• Pirates 10-3
• Cubs 12-1

The Pirates play the Cubs and the Pirates three times each. Pittsburgh will need to take three from the Cardinals, and the Cubs need to take at least two from the Pirates, and the teams need plenty of help as the Cardinals face Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Atlanta in their other three series. The probability of a tie between these three teams stands at .0016, down from .0037 yesterday. The best chance for a tie comes at 97 wins.

For Monday, the best results for this race are:

• The Cubs defeat the Brewers
• The Cardinals fall to the Reds
• The Pirates beat the Rockies