Pirates ace Gerrit Cole was brilliant in his start against the Marlins on Thursday. The right-hander allowed one run on five hits over 7 1/3 solid innings. He struck out four and did not walk a batter. Cole's strong start earned him a victory, as the Pirates held on for the 2-1 win.
The only run Cole allowed came on a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. Cole improved to 15-7 and lowered his ERA to 2.44 with the dominant effort.
After giving up three runs or more in three straight starts, Cole has allowed a total of two runs over his last two starts. Overall, in six August starts, Cole went 1-3 with a 3.14 ERA.