What the returns of Martinez and Mikolas mean for the Cardinals

We had previously written that the St. Louis Cardinals were hopeful to have Carlos Martinez and Miles Mikolas return to the rotation by this weekend. It became reality less than 24 hours later.

The team announced that each will pitch in their weekend series against the Chicago Cubs. Martinez will pitch Friday, Mikolas will pitch Saturday and veteran Adam Wainwright will close out the series on Sunday.

It gives the Cardinals the rotation that they hoped for on Opening Day and further strengthens their grasp on the National League Central. They managed to start the season 25-18 without Mikolas and with Martinez, Harrison Bader and others missing significant time due to injuries. With the rotation back, and the rest of the roster returning to full strength, the Cardinals are not only the team to beat in the division. They are in the conversation for the best team in the NL.

More often than not, Martinez has looked dominant this season. He has flashed the potential that he had shown early in his career, most recently allowing only two earned runs in a 21.1 inning span. He has given the Cardinals a dependable No. 4 starter and has far exceeded expectations, with two bad outings keeping his ERA at 4.35 in 41.1 innings this season.

Mikolas, however, enters as more of a question mark. He flashed star potential in an 18-win season in 2018, but has missed significant time due to shoulder and forearm injuries. He will return as their No. 5 starter and will likely be eased into action as the Cardinals will want to have him at full strength. But if he shows anything close to the ability that he did in 2018, their rotation will be in tremendous shape for the rest of the season.

There are many “ifs” in that statement, of course. But the Cardinals (finally) have the rotation they’ve wanted and could reap the rewards of it as soon as this weekend.