Pirates ace Gerrit Cole was in fine form in his start on Friday against the Cardinals. Cole, who picked up his 13th win of the season, allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings. He walked two and struck out three in the 5-2 victory.
The only runs scored on the All-Star right-hander came on a two-run home run by Matt Carpenter in the second inning, putting the Pirates down 2-1. But the offense was able to respond quickly, getting regaining the lead in the bottom of the inning.
Cole (13-3) heads into the All-Star break with a 2.30 ERA and 116 strikeouts on the ledger.
"I feel good, strong, healthy," Cole said, per MLB.com. "I feel like I've gotten better every time out, and we've brought consistent energy out on the field, the guys have played really, really well behind us -- and that's reflected in the record."