Cole to visit specialist for sore elbow

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole will miss his next start on Monday against the Chicago Cubs, and will instead fly to Los Angeles to meet with an elbow specialist, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune.

Biertempfel adds that the Pirates are not concerned that Cole has any ligament damage.

Cole, who finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting in 2015, is 7-9 with a 3.55 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 20 starts this season. The 25-year-old has struggled of late, going 0-3 with a 7.06 ERA over his last four outings, with opponents hitting .370 off him.

"It's been tough to find a rhythm all year," Cole told reporters Thursday. "It just kind of feels like a whole year of catch-up."

Cole was sidelined for a month earlier this summer with a triceps injury but has stated that his recent results aren't attributed to any injury.

The Pirates enter play Saturday 2 1/2 games back of the second wild-card spot.