Gerrit Cole has started 27 games for the Pirates. The Bucs are 18-9 in those starts. He's posted solid numbers on the season as a whole, but there is a marked difference between his first 14 starts and his last 13.
14 starts through June 18. Pirates 11-3
IP H R ER UIBB K HR ERA BA/OBP/SLG OPS LD% XBH% WHIP
91.0 75 24 18 21 97 5 1.78 .227/.283/.300 .583 26 3.6 1.066
13 starts since June 24. Pirates 7-6
IP H R ER UIBB K HR ERA BA/OBP/SLG OPS LD% XBH% WHIP
82.2 83 37 33 19 71 4 3.59 .266/.310/.385 .695 30 7.8 1.234
Cole's BB/9 has remained rock-solid at 2.0, but his K/9 rate has dropped from 9.6 to 7.7. And while his HR/9 is virtually the same, his XBH% has more than doubled. Pat Lackey at WHYGAVS has written about Cole a few times, speculating on why Cole has been less effective of late. His velocity has remained consistent, but there is some evidence his slider has lost some of its bite. Whatever the answer, Cole and the Pirates need to figure it out. Five back in the loss column with 32 games left, the Cards are almost out of reach. That leaves the likely prospect of Gerrit Cole vs. Jake Arrieta in a wild card game at PNC Park. The Bucs and their fans need to hope that first-half Gerrit Cole shows up for that one.
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