Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Stretches out to 90 pitches
Rotowire
Flaherty allowed two runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out four over 4.2 innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game versus the Nationals.
Flaherty put a bit too much traffic on the bases, which shortened his outing. He threw 57 of 90 pitches for strikes, which suggests that he's entering 2023 fully healthy and ready for a starter's workload after an injury-plagued 2022. The right-hander should get one more spring start before lining up to pitch in the opening series versus the Blue Jays.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Set to start Monday
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Flaherty (calf/illness) has been cleared to start Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Flaherty is expected to cover around three innings or 45-to-50 pitches before giving way to southpaw Steven Matz, who is likely to handle a similar workload in relief. A bout with calf discomfort and then flu-like symptoms resulted in Flaherty's spring debut being pushed back a few days, but the 27-year-old right-hander looks well on his way to being ready to go for Opening Day.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Not pitching Sunday
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Flaherty (illness/calf) will not pitch Sunday against the Mets, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Flaherty has been battling flu-like symptoms and some muscle irritation in his left calf, so the Cardinals will again delay his Grapefruit League debut -- now to Monday. The hope is that these are minor issues, but the 27-year-old right-hander might soon fall behind. He logged only 36 innings (eight starts, one relief appearance) at the MLB level in 2022 because of shoulder trouble.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Not certain for Sunday
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Flaherty is dealing with calf discomfort and flu-like symptoms, which may prevent him from pitching Sunday versus the Mets, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Flaherty was initially scratched from Saturday's start versus the Nationals, and it's now possible he's pushed back again. The calf discomfort is the bigger concern here, as it's unclear how long it might keep him off the mound. He has logged time in simulated games this spring, but he has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut. Denton adds that it's believed to be a minor issue, but given Flaherty's lengthy injury history, the Cardinals will likely approach this situation with caution.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Start pushed back to Sunday
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Flaherty had his Grapefruit League debut pushed back to Sunday due to lower half discomfort, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Flaherty was originally scheduled to debut Saturday. If this remains a one-day delay, it should hardly be a blip, but the 27-year-old right-hander carries a ton of injury risk in general after logging only 154.2 total major-league innings for the Cardinals between 2020-22. He tossed just 36 frames for St. Louis last year.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Settles at $5.4 million
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Flaherty signed a one-year, $5.4 million contract with the Cardinals on Friday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Flaherty was in his final year of arbitration eligibility. He'll hope to remain healthy in his walk year after being limited to just 114.1 innings over the last two seasons because of oblique and shoulder issues. Flaherty represents a risky mid- to late-round pick in fantasy leagues for 2023 but one with obvious upside.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Tosses one relief inning Tuesday
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Flaherty struck out one and allowed a hit in one relief inning in an 8-7 extra-inning win Tuesday in Pittsburgh. He did not factor into the decision.
Flaherty was expected to throw multiple innings and roughly 45 pitches Tuesday but ended up tossing just 19 pitches in his one frame. Since returning from a shoulder injury at the beginning of September, he has a 3.86 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB in 28 innings across six appearances. He is likely to get the start in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card series if that game is necessary.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Likely to pitch in relief Tuesday
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Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that Flaherty is likely to throw roughly 45 pitches in a relief appearance Tuesday against the Pirates, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Since Flaherty's most recent start came Friday, he would have lined up to start Wednesday's regular-season finale on his typical four days' rest, but the Cardinals prefer to use him Tuesday to give him some additional time off before St. Louis begins its wild-card series this weekend. Even though he'll be pitching in relief Tuesday for just the fourth time in his career, Flaherty may still be in good position to come away with a win for fantasy managers. Dakota Hudson is scheduled to start but isn't expected to work deep into the contest, which could put Flaherty in line to appear in the critical middle innings when the outcome of the game is more likely to be decided. After Tuesday's outing, Flaherty would likely be in line to start either Game 2 or 3 of the wild-card round.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Earns win with quality start
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Flaherty (2-1) gave up one earned run on four hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings to earn the win in a 2-1 victory over the Pirates on Friday.
Flaherty made his best start of the season by holding the Pirates lineup to one run which scored on a bunt single by the speedy Ji-hwan Bae. Flaherty threw 95 pitches and has shown that he can handle a normal workload after missing most of the season due to a shoulder injury. The 26-year-old right-hander demonstrated a high ceiling in 2019 when he posted a superb 2.75 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 196.1 innings. Depending on how the Cardinals decide to structure their rotation in the playoffs, Flaherty may take the mound in a rematch against the Pirates in Pittsburgh next week.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Sleeper pitchers for Week 26 (Sept. 26-Oct. 5)
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Flaherty's latest start Thursday was his best so far, seeing him strike out nine over six innings, but then again, he also walked four. He has mostly underwhelmed in his return, but he gets two starts in the final week, including one at Pittsburgh.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Earns first win Thursday
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Flaherty (1-1) picked up the victory Thursday in San Diego, striking out nine in six innings while allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and four walks.
In St. Louis' 141st game of the season, Flaherty finally picked up his first victory. It was his first time pitching more than five innings in a game this year, and his nine punchouts were a season high. In four starts since returning from a shoulder injury, he's compiled a 4.29 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 20:11 K:BB in 21 innings. His next start will likely be in the middle of next week in Milwaukee.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Tough start versus Reds
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Flaherty allowed four runs on six hits, two walks and two hit batsmen while striking out five over five innings versus the Reds on Friday. He did not factor in the decision.
Flaherty was able to avoid yielding a home run for the second time in three starts since returning from a shoulder injury. It still wasn't a sharp start, and he's now allowed 18 hits and seven walks while plunking three batters in that span. For the season, he has a 5.09 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 17:16 K:BB through 23 innings across six starts. He's lined up for a road start in San Diego next week.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: No-decision versus Pirates
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Flaherty allowed three runs on six hits and four walks while failing to record a strikeout in five innings in a no-decision versus the Pirates on Saturday.
Flaherty struggled with both control and command, which saw him issue multiple walks for the fourth time in five outings. He also gave up multiple home runs -- a solo shot to Rodolfo Castro and a two-run blast to Jack Suwinski -- in this contest. Flaherty threw 46 of 87 pitches for strikes, so it appears he is operating on nearly a normal workload after throwing 91 pitches in his return from the injured list Monday. The right-hander has struggled to a 4.50 ERA, 1.89 WHIP and 12:14 K:BB through 18 innings on the season as he tries to get back up to speed in the majors. His next outing is projected to be a home start versus the Reds next week.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Takes tough-luck loss
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Flaherty (0-1) allowed one run on six hits and a walk over five innings Monday, striking out six and taking a loss against Washington.
Flaherty made his first MLB appearance since June 26 and looked solid. He fired 59 of 91 pitches for strikes, including 14 whiffs. Unfortunately for him, the Cardinals were shut out, resulting in a loss on his record. Flaherty has been limited to just 13 innings this season due to injuries but it looks like he'll be healthy enough to make an impact down the stretch for both the Cardinals and fantasy managers. He'll carry a 4.15 ERA into his projected start in Pittsburgh this weekend.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Activated ahead of start
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The Cardinals reinstated Flaherty (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Monday against the Nationals, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
He'll be making his fourth start of the season with the big club and his first since June 26 after being shut down for just over two months following a setback with his right shoulder. After building up to 6.2 innings over the course of five rehab starts between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, Flaherty looks like he'll be ready to handle a normal starter's workload as he steps back into St. Louis' rotation. Though Flaherty has been a major disappointment for those who invested in him on draft day, he still has a chance to salvage something this season and should be a strong fantasy option in nearly every league. He lines up for two starts this week against two sub-.500 teams, as he's expected to make his next turn this weekend in Pittsburgh.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Sleeper pitchers for Week 23 (Sept. 5-11)
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It's not optimal to start Flaherty fresh off a shoulder injury that's sidelined him for almost the entire season, but he's coming back to a dream schedule -- not only two starts but both against offenses that rank in the bottom five in runs scored (Nationals and Pirates). It's too tempting to resist, I think, especially after a strong rehab assignment.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Monday return confirmed
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Flaherty (shoulder) will be activated off the injured list to start Monday against the Nationals, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Flaherty looked like he had a shot to return last week, but the Cardinals elected to have him work one more rehab start Wednesday for Triple-A Memphis, in which he struck out nine while allowing three runs in 6.2 innings. That caution stands in stark contrast to the team's approach earlier in the year, when Flaherty returned from the injured list earlier than expected but made just three ineffective starts before aggravating his shoulder injury. His return will bump Dakota Hudson to the bullpen.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Eyeing Sept. 5 return from IL
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Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Flaherty (shoulder) will make a fifth rehab start Wednesday for Triple-A Memphis, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Though Flaherty appeared poised to return from the 60-day injured list during the upcoming week after covering 5.1 innings and tossing 85 pitches in his most recent rehab start Friday, the Cardinals' brass determined that the right-hander would benefit from having one final tune-up outing in the minors. Assuming Flaherty escapes Wednesday's start unscathed, Marmol said that the 26-year-old will likely make his return to the big-league rotation Sept. 5 against the Nationals. If the Cardinals elect to maintain a five-man rotation upon Flaherty's return, Dakota Hudson would be the starter most at risk of moving to the bullpen.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Decent in fourth rehab start
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Flaherty (shoulder) allowed a run on four hits and three walks while striking out three over 5.1 innings versus Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.
Flaherty had some command problems, throwing two wild pitches, but he was otherwise effective while earning his first win in four rehab starts. He threw 50 of 85 pitches for strikes in the outing. Per Katie Woo of The Athletic, how well Flaherty recovers from this start will determine if his next outing is in the minors or with the Cardinals. Barring a setback, he could be available to pitch as soon as Wednesday, and his pitch count from Friday's start suggests he won't face much of a workload limitation once he's activated from the injured list.
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Cardinals' Jack Flaherty: Sharp in third rehab start
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Flaherty (shoulder) struck out seven and allowed an earned run on four hits and one walk over four innings Sunday in his rehab start with Double-A Springfield.
Flaherty tossed 66 pitches (41 strikes) and generally looked good in the third start of his rehab assignment and his second in a row at Double-A. According to John Denton of MLB.com, Flaherty is on track to return to Triple-A Memphis on Friday for what should be his final rehab start, with the right-hander expected to target around 90 pitches in the outing. If he comes out of that start setback-free, Flaherty would likely be on track to come off the 60-day injured list and rejoin the big-league rotation Aug. 31 in Cincinnati or Sept. 2 at home against the Cubs.
