St. Louis Cardinals: Austin Gomber gets his crack at the rotation

Austin Gomber is finally getting a chance for staying power in the rotation for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Even though he debuted all the way back in 2018, it seems Austin Gomber hasn’t gotten a chance to really stretch his legs and run with the St. Louis Cardinals. The former minor league pitcher of the year has never had an extended period of struggle, he just hasn’t gotten the chance to stick around, let alone start with the big club. That may be changing now.

Back in 2018 when Gomber debuted, he made 11 starts in 29 appearances with a 4.44 ERA but had a way-too-high 1.507 WHIP. However, it was just his debut year and Gomber looked like a man with a future place on this roster.

Skipping ahead to 2019, Gomber didn’t see a single appearance with the St. Louis Cardinals due to a shoulder issue that kept him below 50 innings pitched on the season. In 2020 though, Gomber has seen an expanded role with the big club.

At this moment, Gomber has 12 total appearances with two starts that came on days with doubleheaders. As the long man out of the bullpen, he has put up a stellar 2.37 ERA. However, that ERA is a tad deceptive because his FIP sits at 3.87 and his WHIP is still too high at 1.421.

One place Gomber has advanced this year has been strikeouts though. He has upped his K/9 to 9.9 after it was just 8.0 in 2018. Gomber doesn’t overpower opposing pitchers with velocity, but he is a strikeout guy with his looping curve and slider combo.

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Nevertheless, Gomber will get his chance to shine on Tuesday when he gets to start against the Royals in place of the injured Dakota Hudson. Hudson, who went down with a forearm strain, is likely done for the year.

In the past, the Cardinals rarely went to Gomber for the shot at filling a rotation spot. With a strong start Tuesday, Gomber is going to get his first of likely two more starts before the end of the season. Gomber has had his two starts this year, but doing that in a seven-inning doubleheader isn’t the same as starting a full nine-inning game.

When it comes to the potential postseason rotation, the Cardinals will likely go with Jack Flaherty, Adam Wainwright, and Kwang Hyun Kim to start. That’s all they will need for the three-game Wild Card round (if they make it there). Beyond that, Carlos Martinez, Gomber, and Ponce De Leon are going to be important pieces in deciding how this team does in the postseason.

Either way, Gomber will face off against the young rookie Brady Singer of the Royals. I, for one, am excited to see how Gomber does in his duel against the top 100 prospect. If Gomber puts up anything comparable to Ponce’s last start, the two of them could be a dangerous tag team for the St. Louis Cardinals.