When Gerrit Cole was yanked in the seventh inning at PNC Park Monday night, he received a warm ovation from the crowd.
The look on his face, though, told the story: Cole's recent performances, while solid, haven't reached the Cy Young level of pitching that he produced in the season's first half. He was average again in the 4-1 loss to the .500 Diamondbacks.
Cole was hit in uncharacteristically hard early and often, allowing two runs in the first, another in the second, four over his 6 1/3 innings. Even the opposing pitcher joined the fun.
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