Cole moved to 2-0 on Sunday, giving up just two runs against the Brewers while striking out six and walking one over 6.0 innings. He got into a bit of trouble in the second inning and gave up a pair of runs, but was able to limit the damage and was bailed out by his offense. Cole now boasts a 3.18 ERA and 20:5 K:BB ratio on the season and could be ready to make the leap into the upper echelon of fantasy starters. A matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks awaits in his next start on Friday.

Cole struck out eight and walked two while holding the Tigers to one run on three hits over six innings in a winning effort Monday. Mark Melancon nearly coughed up a four-run lead in the ninth inning, but he managed to preserve the victory for Cole despite a rough outing. Cole handed the Tigers their first loss of the season Monday, generating 15 swinging strikes and seven of his 10 contact outs on the ground. He'll make his next scheduled start Sunday against the Brewers at PNC Park.

Cole lasted only five innings in his season debut Wednesday against the Reds, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts. The strikeouts are nice to see, but it was an inefficient outing for Cole, who needed 93 pitches just to get through five frames. He'll look to polish things up next week against Detroit.

Cole gave up two runs on four hits in 3.1 innings Saturday, striking out one while walking none against the Red Sox. He allowed two solo homers to Mike Napoli on Saturday in an otherwise decent showing. Cole reached his 65-pitch limit in less than four innings, however, so there's still plenty of room for improvement. Most importantly, the righthander has shown no signs of injury after dealing with lat, back and thumb issues in 2014.

Cole will take the hill for the Pirates in Sunday's season finale, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. Cole dealt with a cut on his thumb during his last start, but was able to adapt, tossing seven innings of two-run ball. Although it affected his velocity a bit, the ailment won't stop him from making his regularly scheduled start. This announcement likely means that either Jeff Locke or Vance Worley would take the hill on Monday, and Edinson Volquez would start in the Wild Card game, if necessary.

Cole pitched well Tuesday despite dealing with a bloody cut on the back of his pitching thumb. It's not known whether the thumb impacted his command or performance the first few innings, when his velocity was off several miles-per-hour, but he adapted well to the discomfort. Cole has also seem time on the disabled list in 2014 with separate back injuries.

Cole was dominant Tuesday, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in seven innings against the Braves. Cole picked up his 11th win of the season, and, more importantly, it was the win that secured a trip to the postseason for Pittsburgh. His velocity was down to 91-93 mph early in the game, but as the game went on he recovered his typical gas and retired the final 17 batters he faced. With a playoff berth secured, there's a chance the Pirates could opt to sit Cole and pitch him in the Pirates' first game of the playoffs if there's nothing to be gained by starting him in the final game of the regular season against the Reds, so Cole's owners will want to pay close attention to how the National League Central race develops over the coming days.

Cole earned his 10th win of the season Thursday by throwing seven strong innings against Boston. He allowed two runs and six hits, while striking out seven. After making quality starts against the Cubs in his last two appearances, Cole fared well against a struggling Red Sox offense. He's made five quality starts in six tries since coming off the disabled list in late August, although that is a little deceiving, given that he's posted a 3.99 ERA during that period. On a positive note, he has a sparkling 40:9 K:BB ratio during that stretch, a span of 38.1 innings. The young righty is scheduled to make two road starts next week against Atlanta and Cincinnati.

Cole turned in six innings Friday night versus the Cubs, allowing three earned runs on five hits and a walk while picking up six strikeouts en route to his ninth win of the season. Since returning from a near seven-week stay on the DL back on August 20, Cole has been a steady but less than stellar presence through five turns in the Pirates' rotation. Over this span, the young right-hander has posted a 4.31 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 9.5 K/9 across 31.1 innings. Cole is slated to climb back atop the mound Thursday versus the Red Sox.

Cole allowed three earned runs on nine hits and eight strikeouts in six innings in the Pirates' 10-4 win over the Cubs on Sunday. Cole has allowed 13 runs in his last three starts. However, he's gone at least six innings in each of those starts. The eight strikeouts his the second highest total in a start this season.