Players to Watch: Diamondbacks vs. Pirates

Gerrit Cole

Apr 19, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Cole is one of my favorite pitchers in baseball, and with good reason. The 24-year-old consistently runs his fastball up in the high 90s and has great secondary pitches, making him an exciting young arm that the Pirates can build a staff around.

He’s never pitched in Chase Field, so that’s certainly something to watch. His one start against the Diamondbacks was in PNC Park where he surrendered two runs in six innings of work. He’ll enter this series with a 2.65 ERA and a WHIP of 1.00. He’s also second on the team with 20 strikeouts.

Cole has been a hot hand dating back to last season, and he’ll be looking for his seventh consecutive victory Friday night against the Snakes.