At the 36-game mark, prior to the game Saturday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, right-hander Gerrit Cole had the worst run-support average among qualified National League starters, at 2.50 runs per game, and right-hander Ivan Nova had the third-worst at 2.71.
Nova, scheduled to start Sunday, has a 2.23 ERA in seven starts this season.
In Cole’s past five starts, the offense has scored a total of five runs in his innings on the mound.
“It’s not the time — it’s never the time to get frustrated.” Saturday, Nova insisted it’s only a matter of time before offense and pitching click.
The runs are going to come.” In times such as these, manager Clint Hurdle said, everyone looks for stability.
To better illustrate his point, Hurdle explained the difference between a carpenter and a craftsman.
This guy has gone out since he touched the ball for the first time with intent, purpose, execution and follow-through.” But a starter, even a stabilizer, only impacts the outcome of a game once every five days.
“Once the game starts, the execution part of it is out of my hands.
“Truthfully, from my vantage point as a [former] player, the manager shows up best when his team is not playing its best.
There’s a lot of people who could manage this team when it’s playing well.