Bauman: Pirates step up amid Cole news

MILWAUKEE — Ordinarily, a three-game winning streak for the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park would be cause for unrestrained rejoicing.

The Pirates on Saturday night won their third straight in Milwaukee; a 9-6 victory over the Brewers that included a comeback from a four-run deficit. But another development made this a less than ecstatic evening for the Bucs.

After the game, Pirates executive vice president and general manager Neal Huntington said that No. 1 starter Gerrit Cole will miss at least one start, as he gets further tests on his right elbow.

Cole’s next turn in the rotation would have come Monday against the Cubs in Chicago. Huntington said he expected that start would be taken by left-hander Steven Brault, who will be called up from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Cole, who was on the disabled list for more than a month earlier this season with a triceps injury, has been roughed up in his last four starts, all of which became defeats for the Pirates.

“Cole made us aware after his last start that he had a little bit of discomfort on the outside of his elbow,” Huntington said. “We’ve been working through the evaluation process. We’re going to get him a second opinion sometime in this upcoming week. He will miss at least his next start.”

For the moment at least, the Bucs will be contending for a National League Wild Card berth with three rookies, Ryan Vogelsong and Ivan Nova in the rotation. But everybody in that group has pitched well enough this season.

Apart from the concern about Cole, Saturday night was a celebration for the Pirates. They had lost nine straight at Miller Park before this series and are 20-64 over the last 10 …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com