Astros' Gerrit Cole confident he's cleaned up mechanical issues

PHOTOS: Astros game-by-game Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole delivers against the Texas Rangers during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 20, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Mike Stone) Browse through the photos to see how the Astros have fared in each game this season. less PHOTOS: Astros game-by-game Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole delivers against the Texas Rangers during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 20, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (AP ... more Photo: Mike Stone/Associated Press Photo: Mike Stone/Associated Press Image 1 of / 245 Caption Close Astros' Gerrit Cole confident he's cleaned up mechanical issues 1 / 245 Back to Gallery

Astros righthander Gerrit Cole, who returns to the mound Thursday against the Indians, said Wednesday he believes he has cleaned up any mechanical tics and indicators that may have contributed to the worst start of his career last week of the Rangers.

Cole allowed eight earned runs and lasted just 4 1/3 innings on April 20, beginning with a 43-pitch, five-run first inning in what became a 9-4 Rangers win. He said afterward that he believed he was tipping his pitches early on and believes he has now addressed the issue.

"I obviously didn't ask (the Rangers) if they knew what was coming, but I had kind of a gut feeling, and some of the guys on our team kind of identified what they could potentially be seeing," he said.

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"I had changed my set position a little bit from last year and actually anticipated maybe a little bit of a an adjustment period, and unfortunately it all came crashing down in one game."

With every player and every team looking for an edge, physical tells "can be like something really small but something really obvious at the same time," Cole said. "I didn't know what to monitor until something came up, and so I think something has come up and obviously I can keep an eye on it now and have other people keep an eye on it.

"It wasn't a big adjustment, and I was able to mix it up toward the latter half of the game, so we came up with a game plan this week on how to clean it up, and hopefully that will take care of it."

Astros manager A.J. Hinch said he is confident that Cole will be back on form Thursday.

"I don't have any concerns about Gerrit. Guys with his ability don't have the worst start of their tenure... very often," Hinch said. "I don't expect him to be anything but at his best."

Cole will be starting opposite his former UCLA teammate, Cleveland righthander Trevor Bauer.

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