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.