Pirates Gerrit Cole pitches eighth quality start in win over Nationals, Adam Frazier has multi-hit performance in leadoff spot
Associated Press
Gerrit Cole delivers in the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier (26) in the first inning during a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 13, 2017, in Phoenix.
PITTSBURGH 鈥� Gerrit Cole finally got some run support.
After averaging just two runs scored per nine innings with Cole on the mound, the Pirates鈥� offense scored five for him on Wednesday in a 6-1 win over the Washington Nationals.
Cole made sure it held up, holding the Nationals to three hits over seven innings while striking out three. It was his eighth straight quality start, lowering his ERA to 2.84. If you take out his Opening Day start in Boston, it would be 1.94.
He蘑菇视频 been going deep into games, as well. He pitched seven innings for the third time in 2017, as many as he did all of last season.
The missing link and the reason Cole carries a 2-4 record has been the run support, and it came from some sources of badly-needed improvement from the scuffling offense.
Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two stolen bases. Josh Bell hit a towering three-run home run. Without Jung Ho Kang, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco in the lineup, the Pirates are going to have to depend on Bell and McCutchen for more offense than they鈥檝e contributed thus far.
FRAZIER GETS A CHANCE
The Pirates lost yet another player to injury on Wednesday, as Polanco was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain.
The Pirates have not had their entire projected lineup together at any point this year and for Polanco, it could鈥檛 come at a worse time, as he was starting to turn things on at the place after a slow April.
But manager Clint Hurdle is fond of turning his challenges into opportunities, and there is certainly an opportunity being presented to Adam Frazier with the loss of Startling Marte and Polanco from the outfield.
For the fourth straight game on Wednesday, Frazier started left field and batted leadoff. It looks like he鈥檒l be given an opportunity to prove that he蘑菇视频 capable of being more than just a utility player.
鈥淵ou find out about your organizational depth,鈥� Hurdle said. 鈥淲e believe we鈥檝e got some young me that are going to be good players up here. Sometimes, they鈥檝e got to cut teeth, they鈥檝e got to get in the fire, they鈥檝e got to get games.鈥�
Frazier went 2 for 5 with a run scored on Wednesday. Since coming off his own trip to the disabled list on May 12, Frazier is 8 for 21 (.381) with a double and an RBI and all but one of those at-bats has come hitting leadoff. His .382 on-base percentage leads the team, making him a natural fit for that spot, and it蘑菇视频 one he could secure long-term if he impresses while Marte and Polanco are out.