Hamels' 12-game win streak ends as Pirates top Rangers 9-1 (Yahoo Sports)

Jonathon Niese outpitched Cole Hamels with six strong innings, ending the Texas left-hander's career-best winning streak at 12 games in Pittsburgh's 9-1 interleague victory over the Rangers on Friday night. Andrew McCutchen had one of four home runs for the Pirates, who won their fifth straight and spoiled Jeff Banister's first game against the organization he spent his first 29 years in pro baseball with before becoming Texas manager last season. Hamels was trying to set the Rangers' franchise record for consecutive victories, a mark he will share with Bobby Witt from 1990, while also giving the first glimpse of the potential top of the Texas rotation a night before right-hander Yu Darvish's return from Tommy John surgery.