Cardinals Stud Finally Returning To Form; Could Major Turnaround Be Imminent For St. Louis?
Although the 2023 season hasn't gone as expected so far this season for the St. Louis Cardinals, that doesn't mean they can't turn things around.
St. Louis currently is tied for the worst record in the National League at 26-37, but with 99 games remaining in the 2023 season, there's reason to believe that the Cardinals could make up some ground in the standings. The Cardinals surprisingly are the only team in the National League Central with a positive run differential and the club's starting pitching finally seems to be turning things around.
One reason why the Cardinals' starting pitching has begun to turn things around is undoubtedly thanks to the resurgence of right-handed hurler Jack Flaherty. The 27-year-old struggled to begin the season -- like most of the Cardinals' starting rotation -- but has looked completely different since the middle of May.
Over Flaherty's last five starts, he has compiled a minuscule 1.50 ERA while allowing just five earned runs across 30 innings pitched. St. Louis is 4-1 in Flaherty's last five starts and the righty has struck out 33 batters while walking just 13. Flaherty seems to be finally returning to form and has struck out 9.9 batters per nine innings over his last five starts and has held opposing batters to a .209 batting average.
If Flaherty can maintain this momentum, he can certainly give the Cardinals a chance to dig themselves out of this hole they've made for themselves. The 27-year-old shined Wednesday night holding one of the best offenses in all of baseball in the Texas Rangers to just three hits and no runs across six innings pitched while the Cardinals pulled out a much-needed 1-0 win.
St. Louis has the star power to make up some ground the National League Central but the pitching needs to follow suit. Flaherty's return to form is a welcomed sight and hopefully the rest of the staff can follow suit. The 2023 season hasn't been kind to St. Louis yet, but there's still plenty of time left.
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