Cole (rib), who allowed one run in three innings Friday against minor leaguers, believes he's in line to pitch sometime during the opening week of the regular season, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

EDGE Analysis

He threw 29 of 50 pitches for strikes against the Yankees' Triple-A team, reaching 98 mph with his fastball. "It felt good," Cole said. "I thought the curveball was really crisp. It stayed with me through the outing. The fastball command got progressively better. ... I got the pitch count up."