Cole expects to be able to throw at least five innings at the start of the regular season after throwing 40-45 pitches Thursday, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

EDGE Analysis

Pitchers will likely be coming into the season at varying levels of readiness, depending on how well they were able to stay sharp at home over the last few months. It's a positive for Cole that he expects to be able to pitch long enough to earn a win even in his first start of the year, though it does sound like he'll be at least somewhat limited. In other positive Cole-related news, James Wagner of The New York Times reports that Cole's wife, Amy, gave birth to the couple's first child Tuesday, which means he won't need to be away from the team for paternity leave during the season.