Gerrit Cole did not put up a fight. When manager Clint Hurdle ambled to the pitcher’s mound in the fifth inning Thursday at PNC Park, Cole handed over the baseball and retreated to the home dugout, his head down. Cole had been thoroughly socked by the Miami Marlins. He was unable to complete the fifth because of five consecutive singles sent to the outfield.
In the Marlins’ 7-1 win, Cole was clobbered for seven runs on 11 hits in 4u2154 innings. It wasn’t only a bad night. It was another data point in a troubling trend for the Pirates’ opening-day starter.