Diamondbacks continue road trip, face Pirates in Pittsburgh

Aug 11, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher

(58) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks won 13-1. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Game One (7:05 ET): Jeremy Hellickson vs. Gerrit Cole

Hellickson is 8-8 on the season with an ERA of 4.73 but his last start was arguably his best outing of the year. Hellickson went eight innings against the Phillies on August 11th allowing one run on seven hits while also recording six strikeouts.

His two previous starts prior to August 11th were against two very good ball clubs, Houston and Washington. Hellickson failed to reach the 5th inning in both of those starts and gave up a combined 10 earned runs in those two starts.

Here’s hoping that Hellickson can limit the dangerous hitters in this Pittsburgh line up. Guys like Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez and Starling Marte will make you pay if you make any mistakes so Hellickson will have to be sharp to give the D-Backs a chance in this one.

Pittsburgh’s starter Gerrit Cole has had a fantastic year for the Pirates. He’s 14-6 with a 2.48 ERA. However, the 24 year old has not recorded a win since July 26th. In his three starts in August, he has given up a combined eight earned runs on 18 hits and only made it through the sixth inning once.

While Cole has looked outstanding for the most part, his recent performances definitely suggest that Arizona can produce some offense against the 3rd year starting pitcher.

Next: Game Two