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Pirates notebook: Gerrit Cole ponders reasons for recent slump

MILWAUKEE — This melancholy month of August has faded right-hander Gerrit Cole‘s showroom sheen. The day after allowing five runs in five innings, his fourth consecutive shaky start, Cole paused before attempting to pinpoint what has gone wrong. After a beat, he said, “It’s been an interesting year.”

Once the Pirates settled on a starting five Aug. 4, the rotation mostly stabilized. Between then and a series opener Thursday in Milwaukee, right-handers Ivan Nova, Jameson Taillon, Ryan Vogelsong and Chad Kuhl combined for a 2.56 ERA. The ace Cole?