Cole trying to find root of extended struggles

PITTSBURGH — What’s gone wrong with Gerrit Cole?

This time last year, Cole was establishing himself as one of the game’s best young pitchers, beginning an eight-start stretch that would cement his status as a top-five Cy Young Award finisher in the National League. But now, after a disappointing five-inning outing in a 5-4 loss to the Astros at PNC Park, Cole is searching for answers.

“Didn’t do what I needed to do today to keep us in the ballgame,” Cole said. “That’s unfortunate.”

Cole allowed five runs on seven hits, pushing his August ERA to 6.07. He’s given up 41 hits in 26 2/3 innings this month. After allowing 12 hits in back-to-back outings, Cole was hit hard by an aggressive Astros lineup and made to pay for every mistake.

“I hate to sound simplistic, but the overall command is coming and going,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “You could probably say he’s wild in the strike zone.”

For the most part this season, Cole has shown a firm grasp of the strike zone. He only walked one Astros batter …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com