Pirates' Gerrit Cole: MRI shows no ligament damage

Cole underwent an MRI on his elbow which showed no ligament damage, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Analysis:

The Pirates sent Cole for an evaluation after an uncharacteristically poor run of starts -- Cole's ERA has ballooned from 2.73 to 3.55 in his last five outings. While no ligament damage was found, he's not completely in the clear yet, as Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that Cole could have a bone spur. He will miss Monday's start at the very least.