Cole struck out seven and walked two while giving up one run on seven hits over 7.2 innings in a winning effort Friday against Arizona. It was an excellent outing for Cole, who threw a first-pitch strike to 27 of the 32 batters he faced, and pounded the zone with 78 of his 108 pitches going for strikes. In addition to missing more bats early this season (career-high 12.1% swinging-strike rate), Cole has increased his groundball rate to a career-high 62.1%. If those early signs of skills growth hold, Cole can ascend to fantasy ace status this season.