St. Louis Cardinals: Paul DeJong, Jack Flaherty and Waino’s Dead Arm

Jack Flaherty

The Cardinals will need only three starters in the Wild Card round. To me there are two obvious choices, Miles Mikolas and Jose Quintana. They have been the most consistent coming down the stretch in September.

In their last seven starts, Mikolas has an 3.05 ERA and Quintana has a 1.18 ERA. Jordan Montgomery, on the other hand, has a 4.97 ERA, and Adam Wainwright has a  6.97 ERA.(more on Waino later)

Even though Jack Flaherty currently holds a 4.37 ERA, his seven starts in September, he has an ERA of 3.94. He had quality starts in this last two outings, which included striking out nine against a potent Padres lineup. In other words, he seems to be getting stronger with each appearance and getting his mojo back.

We know Flaherty’s stuff is the best on the staff. He has the best swing and miss potential with his fastball-slider, and an compelling curve ball. With his pitch arsenal, Flaherty is the only one among the starters who could be considered a true ace.

Should Flaherty be given a start in the Wild Card round? Since it’s looking like the Cardinals will be facing the Padres in this round, in my opinion, he should be the third option behind Mikolas and Quintana.

Adam Wainwright

The Cardinals have been telling us that Adam Wainwright is experiencing a ‘”dead arm”. What is a dead arm?  After a google search, the general consensus is when there is no structural damage in the arm or shoulder, but instead a feeling of fatigue. A period of rest is usually recommended.

Whatever, the exact definition is, the impact on Wainwright has been significant. In August. Wainwright had an 2.50 ERA for the month and a WHIP of 1.059 in 6 starts. Since then, he has a 7.22 ERA and a WHIP of 1.919 in 6 starts.

It could be the 41-year old just needs a rest with a missed start or two. Still, the problem has occurred at an inopportune time for the Cardinals. It’s too late for rest. Consequently,  with the Wild Card round starting on Friday, it’s hard to justify putting Wainwright in the rotation, or even in the bullpen.

For whatever reason, when the problem arose, the Cardinals and Wainwright seemed to think rest wasn’t the answer. They just kept throwing him out there to pitch every five days.

Now Oli Marmol is faced with maybe his most difficult roster decision. Do you keep one of the most beloved player in recent Cardinal history off the postseason roster? Or, since it’s a short series, do you keep him as part of the roster and have him available in the bullpen?

I would be willing to give Wainwright a pass on Sunday’s performance. After all, he had a big role in the pre-game ceremony honoring Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. It would be understood if that threw him off on his pre-game preparations.

But the problem is his entire month of September. With the Cardinals struggling offensively in the last couple of weeks, putting your best performing starters is the only way to go.

Still, it’s almost unthinkable keeping Waino off the postseason roster. His presence on the bench is invaluable to this Cardinal team.

My call? Keep him on the roster.