CINCINNATI — The 100th start of Gerrit Cole's journey from top prospect to the ace of the Pirates' pitching staff was marred by a poor defensive play and a struggling offense Monday night, but it was still a silver lining for Clint Hurdle.
Cole allowed five hits in six innings during the Pirates' 4-3 loss to the Reds in 10 innings at Great American Ball Park and was dominant until a leadoff error eventually led to Adam Duvall's go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning.
Beneath the numbers — including Cole surrendering his sixth home run of the season, two errors and the offense mustering only two hits after the first inning — Hurdle saw another sign that the 26-year-old right-hander is moving closer to reaching his potential.
"He wants to be a craftsman," Hurdle said after Cole struck out seven Reds and only walked one. "He wants to be somebody that leads the staff. That’s the way I see it. He has that makeup, that drive and that skill set to fulfill that role."
Cole was mistake-free for most of the night, building on his previous outing when he pitched seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in a loss to Chicago. He was efficient yet again, retiring nine Reds hitters on three pitches or less and delivered first-pitch strikes to 18 of the 24 hitters he faced.
Though he now holds a 1-3 record with a 3.50 ERA, Cole is pitching with confidence and looked unfazed by a Reds lineup that is once again dotted with a powerful middle of the order. Hamilton led off the first with a single and stole both second and third base, but Cole struck out Joey Votto and Duvall to end the threat.
Cole has 70 quality starts in his 100-start career, which began with his major league debut on June 11, 2013 at PNC Park, and is still learning how to make the necessary adjustments. He looked as comfortable as ever against a team he holds a 0-6 record in eight starts against.
That confidence is why the Pirates love playing behind him, according to Josh Harrison, whose two solo home runs were the club's only hits after the first inning:
