Gerrit Cole on his start and winning the series; probables for Pirates-Reds series

ST. LOUIS -- With a roll of his eyes, Gerrit Cole motioned to the Pirates’ dugout and asked for a new rosin bag. He held the remnants of the previous one in his hands, spewing rosin onto the mound. He had broken it open by smacking it against his forearm all night long.

“It was really packed tight all night,” he said. “I had to hit it real hard against my arm to get some chalk because my hands were just dripping down to my fingers the whole time.”

Aside from it being 91 degrees at first pitch even though that first pitch was 7:09 p.m. local time, Cole worked hard Sunday night. He pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed two weak singles against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Pirates won the series, two games to one, but still trail the Cardinals by 51/2 games in the NL Central. They have three games left against each other, at PNC Park at the end of September.

“I don’t know,” said Cole, with another eye roll, when asked about the series. “You guys like to put a bunch of hype on the division and all this kind of stuff. I think if we just stay focused on what we focus on, which is ourselves, playing good ballgames, trying to win every day, don’t take wins with us, don’t take losses with us, if we just stay with that approach the results are going to be what they’re going to be. They’re having a great season, the Cubs are having a great season, but there’s a lot of baseball left, so we’ll see.”

Possibly attuned to the attention Cole’s split stats between Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart was receiving (see below), Cole mentioned Cervelli’s game-calling multiple times.

“We just tried to stay aggressive,” Cole said. “You screw around with these guys and give them count leverage, you’re going to get beat. ... We had a rough outing last time and the best way to get back on the horse is just to let it eat and start being aggressive.”

Cole got stronger as he went, hitting 100 mph in the seventh inning.

“That’s what I prepare for,” he said. “That’s why I go out and run, lift, take care of my body. We’re at a part of the season where recovery’s important. You got to be smart, but at the same time it’s put up or shut up, so figure it out and get it done.”

Cole also made good use of his curveball, which, after staying away from it in the first half, he has brought back in the second half. Five of his seven strikeouts were swinging at curveballs.

“I just was staying aggressive with it,” he said. “Didn’t get the slider working much. Threw a couple good ones in some situations, but the curveball was playing better tonight for whatever reason. Credit to Cervy for figuring out what stuff was working.”

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According to a report from ESPN’s Keith Law, the Marlins are going to hire special assistant to the GM Marc DelPiano for a senior vice president job. The Marlins’ front office is in a state of flux right now. 

DelPiano joined the Pirates in December 2008. He spent three seasons before that as a special assignment scout for the Red Sox. He worked for the Expos as an area scout from 1996-2000 and was an east coast scouting supervisor for the Expos and Marlins in 2003. He was also the Marlins’ director of player development in 2003.

A rival executive once described DelPiano to me as “the guy who gets things done” for the Pirates. I wonder how challenging that will be to replace. 

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Aramis Ramirez pinch-hit and walked Saturday, but did not start either of the first two games of the series.

“Hit a lot in the cage to try and stay focused, try and stay sharp,” he said. “Paid off tonight.”

Ramirez hit his fourth homer in his past seven games, and 16th of the season.

Sean Rodriguez finished the series 6 for 7 with a homer and two doubles.

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Pirates and Reds probables:

Monday: LHP Jeff Locke (7-9, 4.66) for the Pirates; RHP Anthony DeSclafani (7-10, 3.87) for the Reds.

Tuesday: LHP Francisco Liriano (9-7, 3.40) for the Pirates; RHP Raisel Iglesias (3-6, 3.81) for the Reds.

Wednesday: LHP J.A. Happ (4-1, 1.57) for the Pirates; TBA for the Reds.

Game story: Cole dominant, Pirates homer three times and win series.

Notebook: Burnett could return as early as this week.

Coverage of the Cardinals from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.