45 Gerrit Cole SP

Cole (14-5) allowed two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out nine to pick up the win against Detroit on Wednesday.

Cole labored in this one, throwing first-pitch strikes to just 13 of 23 batters, needing 99 pitches to get his five innings. He expended 50 of those pitches in the second and third innings. He hung in long enough for Houston's bats to give him a lead when he left, enabling him to claim his third win in his last four starts. He's next scheduled to pitch Tuesday at home against the Mariners.

Cole (13-5) allowed two earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out nine across 5.2 innings to earn the win Sunday against the Angels.

Cole turned in another strong start, relying on 20 swinging strikes to push ahead of teammate Justin Verlander for second in the majors with 243 punchouts. He was limited to a relatively short outing thanks to a 27-pitch third inning followed by a 25-pitch effort in the fourth inning, though it didn't stop him from recording his 13th win of the season. All in all, it was another strong outing for Cole, and he remains among the league's best in nearly every pitching category.

Cole will make his next start Monday against the Athletics, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic Houston reports.

Cole started the first of the Astros' six games this week Monday in Seattle, giving up three runs (two earned) and striking out seven over five innings in a no-decision. The right-hander looked like he would be in line to make his second start of the week Sunday against the Angels, but manager A.J. Hinch elected to push Cole back an additional day for rest purposes. The Astros appear set to go with another "bullpen game" Sunday, which could feature Brad Peacock as the team's opening pitcher.

Cole threw five innings in a no-decision against Seattle on Monday, yielding three runs (two earned) on seven hits, striking out seven and walking two in Houston's 7-4 defeat.

Cole wasn't at his most efficient in this contest, as he needed 99 pitches to make it through his five innings, but he did manage to rack up seven strikeouts over that time to bring his total up to a career-high 226 through 164.2 innings. He was in line for his 12th win of the season before his bullpen relinquished a 4-3 lead. Cole continues to post excellent overall numbers in his first year in Houston, as he now boasts a 2.73 ERA and 1.01 WHIP on the season to go along with the gaudy strikeout numbers.

Cole (10-4) took the loss against the Dodgers on Sunday, giving up three earned runs on six hits over five innings, striking out eight and walking one in the Astros' 3-2 defeat.

It was the second straight defeat for the right-hander, who failed to post one of the dominant stat lines his owners have become accustomed to this season in a difficult matchup against the Dodgers. The first-year Astro has cooled off a bit from his torrid early-season pace, but he's still having a dominant inaugural campaign in Houston, with a 2.64 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over 146.1 innings. He also passed the 200-strikeout threshold in this contest, as the eight punchouts give him 202 on the season -- good for fourth in the league, trailing only Max Scherzer, Chris Sale and teammate Justin Verlander.