Cole (6-6) allowed a single run on five hits and two walks while striking out five batters through six innings during Saturday's win over St. Louis.

EDGE Analysis

Outside of a disastrous four-game stretch where Cole allowed 23 runs through 19 innings, the 26-year-old righty has been outstanding. After all, to sport a 4.11 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with that disastrous span on the books highlights how strong the rest of Cole's body of work has been. Additionally, he's now surrendered just three runs through 20 innings over his past three starts. Cole lines up for a cushy matchup at home against the reeling Giants in his next start.

Cole (5-6) allowed just a single run on three hits and two walks while striking out five batters through seven innings during Monday's win over Milwaukee.

EDGE Analysis

This was another strong bounce-back showing from Cole, as he's just a single outing removed from allowing 23 runs through 19.1 innings over a four-start span. The 26-year-old righty has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his 15 starts, and the noted slump has been the only really poor stretch this year. After all, he posted a 2.84 ERA and 1.02 WHIP through his first nine games of the season. There may be more hiccups along the way, but Cole's current form is encouraging. He lines up for a road start against St. Louis at Busch Stadium next.

Cole (4-6) tossed seven innings of one-run ball in Tuesday's win over the Rockies, allowing three hits and three walks with three strikeouts.

EDGE Analysis

Cole did extremely well to quiet a potent Colorado lineup and was even a bit unlucky on the run he gave up, as Trevor Story scored from first base on a single by Tony Wolters. He struggled with his command a bit ad set a new season high in walks, but he held the opposition without an extra-base hit to help mitigate the impact. This gem ended a run of futility in which Cole had allowed a whopping 23 earned runs in his previous 19.1 innings -- a stretch that saw his ERA jump nearly two full runs to 4.83. He had been quite consistent prior to that miserable run, which was largely to blame on his inability to limit the long ball, and he will look to build off of this bounce-back performance Monday against the Brewers.

Cole, who has allowed 23 earned runs in his last 19.1 innings, doesn't have an explanation for his recent ineffectiveness. "As of right now, I don't have anything for you," Cole told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I haven't really gone through something like this before but that's certainly the furthest thing from an excuse. I've got to turn it around."

EDGE Analysis

Opponents are batting .411 against Cole over his last four starts, aided by a .437 BABIP. The righty began 2017 with a 2.84 ERA in 57 innings, making his struggles even more bewildering. It's possible that trade rumors are affecting his game, but it's more likely he's simply not executing his pitches.

Cole allowed seven runs over 4.2 innings, walked one and struck out five Thursday against Miami during Pittsburgh's 7-1 loss.

EDGE Analysis

Cole has now failed to make it past the fifth inning in his past four starts, a span in which his ERA has risen from 2.84 to 4.83. At one point Thursday, Cole allowed five singles in a row to expedite his early exit. Once thought to be the ace of his team, the right-hander's slump is somewhat a cause of concern for fantasy owners.

Cole surrendered seven earned runs in five innings Friday, allowing three homers for the second straight start. He gave up eight hits and two walks while striking out six batters.

EDGE Analysis

He's struggled in his last three starts, getting touched for 16 earned runs in 14.2 innings. Cole has already been slammed for 15 home runs, four more round-trippers than he's ever given up in a full season. New York's Lucas Duda touched him up for three homers in the last week alone. The hard-throwing righty offers a career-best fastball velocity (96.1 mph) but his 35-percent hard contact rate is well above his career mark (29 percent). Whether he's tipping pitches, struggling with pitch sequencing (Michael Conforto sat changeup on a 2-1 count before homering), or simply going through a rough patch, Cole's value to the Pirates or even a trade partner is currently trending downward.

Cole allowed four runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out three batters over five innings during Saturday's win over the Mets. He didn't factor into the decision.

EDGE Analysis

This was Cole's second underwhelming start in a row, as he's now surrendered nine runs through his past 9.2 innings while striking out just five batters. For the year, he sports a solid 3.65 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 7.4 K/9, and the 26-year-old righty should bounce back in short order from this mini rough patch. Unfortunately, the Pirates offense projects to continue providing minimal run support, so piling up wins will probably remain a difficult task for Cole going forward. He lines up for a road start against the Mets next.

Cole gave up five earned runs on 10 hits and two walks in 4.2 innings Monday against the Braves. He also hit one batter while striking out two.

EDGE Analysis

The outing was his worst of 2017 and seemed reminiscent of his struggles from a year ago. A 31-pitch first inning set the tone for the evening and long time nemesis Brandon Phillips (.440 career batting average vs. Cole) belted a two-run homer to further compound matters. Cole needed 100 pitches (67 for strikes) in the highly forgettable showing. Fortunately, his fastball velocity (95.8 mph) was on par with his last four starts, making Monday look more like an aberration than a trend. He'll next get the Mets in Pittsburgh over the weekend.

Cole (2-4) held the Nationals to a single run over seven innings Tuesday, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out three in a 6-1 win.

EDGE Analysis

Despite coming into this game with a 3.06 ERA and 1.06 WHIP (both of which he only improved upon), Cole had been held to just one win in eight starts because of the shortcomings of his offense, which scored five runs combined in his four losses. The Pirates don't look like a very good team this year, so wins may not be easy to come by for Cole, but his habit of pitching deep into games will pay off for him.

Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington addressed speculation from a New York newspaper that stated Cole could become a prime trade target for the Yankees. "Our expectation is that Gerrit is going to be a Pirate for a while," Huntington said.

EDGE Analysis

Cole agreed to a $3.75 million deal in the offseason, avoiding arbitration. Agent Scott Boras will likely take the righty to free agency following the 2019 campaign, leading the Pirates to move the 26-year-old at some point in the coming years. For his part, Cole has upped his stock in 2017, throwing the ball as well as he has in his career. Aside from a five-run, fifth-inning Opening Day, he's crafted a 2.14 ERA in 42 innings and reasserted himself as Pittsburgh's ace.