PITTSBURGH -- Just 24, Gerrit Cole struggles at times to keep his emotions in check when he is on the mound.

Yet on a day when conditions seemed ripe for the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander to potentially lose his poise, he became untouchable.

Settling down after a shaky beginning, Cole notched his major-league-high 12th win as the Pirates rallied for a 5-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.

Cole (12-3) set down 16 consecutive batters after the Indians scored twice in the second inning and once in the third to take a 3-0 lead. That came on the heels of him going winless in his previous two starts -- his longest victory drought of the season -- and pitching a combined 11 1/3 innings in those two games.

"I wasn't getting frustrated because I felt that they were hitting some good pitches," Cole said. "Sometimes that happens. You can execute a pitch and it can still wind up going for a hit."

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle also felt Cole was pitching better than the score indicated.

"He was missing by about two inches at the most," Hurdle said.

Cole wound up allowing three runs and five hits in eight innings with five strikeouts and one walk. He was winless in his previous two starts while pitching a combined 11 1/3 innings.

"We got to him early and I felt pretty good about that because he's one of the better pitchers in the league," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Once he got the lead, though, he found another gear."

Center fielder Andrew McCutchen's two-run double off the top of the top of the center field fence capped a five-run fifth inning against Danny Salazar (7-3) and gave the Pirates (47-34) a 5-3 lead.

Third baseman Jung Ho Kang led off the fifth with a single, and first baseman Pedro Alvarez followed with a two-run home run, his 12th.

Catcher Chris Stewart singled one out later, was sacrificed to second by Cole, took third on right fielder Josh Harrison's single and scored the tying run on a single by second baseman Neil Walker.

That set the stage for McCutchen.

"A lot of things went on in that inning," Hurdle said. "A lot went into those five runs."

Closer Mark Melancon converted his 25th consecutive save opportunity. He leads the National League with 27 saves.

Pirates left fielder Starling Marte left the game because of discomfort in his left side while batting in the fourth inning. Marte said after the game that he felt better and the team said he would be re-evaluated Monday.

Salazar (7-4) allowed five runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and one walk. The right-hander allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his eight previous starts.

Salazar lost a no-hitter with two outs and two strikes in his previous start Tuesday, a win at Tampa Bay, and the Pirates saw him at his best for the first four innings.

"He has a good changeup and a fastball in the mid-to-high 90s, so it's pretty hard to sit on any one pitch," McCutchen said. "It took a couple of times through the order until we became comfortable."

The Indians (38-43) took an early lead on consecutive RBI singles by center fielder Michael Bourn and catcher Roberto Perez in the second inning and left fielder Michael Brantley's run-scoring single in the third.

Cleveland went 5-5 on its 10-game road trip, including sweeping a four-game series at Tampa Bay before dropping two of three to the Pirates.

"We learned what it takes to win on this trip," Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis said. "We played good baseball at the end against two good teams."

NOTES: Pirates RF Gregory Polanco was not in the lineup after going 0-for-9 in his previous three games. He entered after LF Starling Marte got hurt, and went 0-for-3. ... The Pirates claimed 1B Travis Ishikawa off waivers from San Francisco and will make a corresponding move when he reports. ... Indians rookie 3B Giovanny Urshela's 13-game hitting streak ended as he went 0-for-3. ... The Indians open a four-game home series with the American League West-leading Astros on Monday night with RHP Carlos Carrasco (10-6, 3.88 ERA) starting against Houston LHP Dallas Keuchel (10-3, 2.03 ERA). Carrasco will make his first start since losing a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning Wednesday in a win at Tampa Bay. ... The Pirates begin a three-game series with the Padres on Monday night with RHP A.J. Burnett (7-3, 2.05 ERA) facing San Diego RHP James Shields (7-3, 4.14 ERA).