Gerrit Cole Needs To Be A Stopper Today

Today, the Pittsburgh Pirates need Gerrit Cole to play stopper

A Major League Baseball team can not secure a postseason berth in the month of April. However, they can most certainly lose one in the month of April. The Pittsburgh Pirates might be in danger of doing just that.

After yesterday’s abysmal loss, the Bucs have lost four consecutive games. As a result, they find themselves at just 3-9 through the first 9 games of the season. Now, they head to Wrigley Field to play the best team in baseball the Chicago Cubs.

As I talked about yesterday, the Pirates’ remaining April schedule is brutal. It is vital that the team gets out of April at or around .500 if they are going to make a run at returning to the postseason. Playing better baseball starts with this weekend series at Wrigley Field, and that starts today with Gerrit Cole.

So far this season, Gerrit Cole has not pitched to his capabilities. In two starts he has allowed 8 runs on 15 hits, 3 walks, he has allowed 3 home runs, and he has struck out just 6 batters. Additionally, he has pitched just 11 innings in these two starts.

To be frank, Cole is better than this. Much better in fact.

Ever since debuting in the Major Leagues in June of 2013 Gerrit Cole has shown the ability to be a stopper. After the Pirates won their 81st game and then promptly lost four consecutive games who put a foot down against the Rangers for win number 82? Gerrit Cole.

A month later when the team had their door’s blown off in Game 1 of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals who pitched 6 lights out innings en route to a Pirate victory in Game 2? That’s right, Gerrit Cole.

In the decisive Game 5 of the NLDS who did Clint Hurdle turn to? Not veteran A.J. Burnett, but rookie Gerrit Cole. And while the Bucs lost, it was not due to Cole who allowed just 2 runs in 6 innings of work.

After a strong 2014 campaign in which Cole averaged 9.00 K/9 and just 2.76 BB/9, while posting a 3.23 FIP and a 2.5 WAR, in 138 innings pitched, he started to take off in 2015. This take off continued into August of 2016.

From the start of the 2015 season through August 2nd of last season Gerrit Cole made 48 starts and he pitched 300 1/3 innings. In these 300 1/3 innings pitched Cole posted a 2.64 ERA and a 2.73 FIP while averaging 8.36 K/9, 2.07 BB/9, and allowing just 14 home runs (0.42 HR/9).

During this stretch, Cole was one of the best starting pitchers in all of Major League Baseball. Due to injuries, he struggled in last five starts of 2016. Now he is off to a slow start in 2017, and the Pirates need that to change starting this afternoon in Wrigley.

In 2015 the Pittsburgh Pirates were nearly unbeatable when Gerrit Cole stated. That season the team went 22-9 with Cole on the mound, and the biggest reason why was the pitching of Gerrit Cole. The team was a combined 28-14 when he started in 2013 and 2014.

In order to right the ship from their struggles of the first two weeks, the Pittsburgh Pirates need to get back to winning nearly every time Gerrit Cole starts. For that to happen Cole must pitch better, he must go back to being the team’s stopper.

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Gerrit Cole has proven in the past that he can be a stopper. Today, the Pirates need him to be that pitcher. The Pittsburgh Pirates are in dire need of a victory today, and a lot of that will ride on the right arm of Gerrit Cole.