The Pittsburgh Pirates would be needing a good starting pitcher once they promote Gregory Polanco to the major league and a few names that come to mind are Tampa Bay Rays David Price and Chicago Cubs Jeff Samardzija. 

A report by City of Champions Sports revealed that the team is in dire need of a quality pitcher especially with Gerrit Cole's inclusion on the disabled list. Cole was placed on the list because of his shoulder fatigue.

In an interview with Pittsburgh Post Gazette, manager Clint Hurdle said Cole might miss his two scheduled starts for the games. 

"There's been some indicators that have popped up that haven't been the norm if you look at indicators from last year," Hurdle was quoted as saying.

City of Champions Sports noted that adding a frontline starter especially at this time would be a "bold" move for the Pirates.

Dejan Kovacevic, in an article on Pittsburgh Tribune Review speculated that Samardzija is "likely off the table" as the Cubs won't trade their player inside the division. He added that Price, on the other hand, is out of the Pirates' budget.

The writer noted that the Pirates do not have the "go-big-or-go-home type of mindset" but they explained that the team needs a stopper that will play a great role in the postseason race.

Some of the team's pitchers are either on leave or not performing their roles well; a problem which the Pirates did not encounter in previous years. And these, according to Kovacevic, should be immediately addressed by the team.

With the absence of Cole, the team leaned on Jeff Locke to start Sunday's match versus the Milwaukee Bewers.

The team is also hoping to bounce back from a home series loss with their upcoming match against the visiting Chicago Cubs.  

With the match in mind, Hurdle said that the challenge for the team now is to recover from their previous losses and to "stay after the game" as they will be facing a previously six-game unbeaten Chicago who recently lost to a 4-3 result against Miami on Sunday.

Chicago's manager Rick Renteria told ESPN that his players should keep their heads high despite the disappointment.

Its top players including Emilio Bonifacio, Anthony Rizzo and Edwin Jackson are expected to maintain their performances in the previous games that earned the team its victories.

With this type of opponent to go against, will the Pirates finally decide to find a strong frontliner or will it continue to put its trust on the current pitchers of the team? This is what will be determined in the coming days and weeks.