The Cardinals, surging toward a playoff berth with a prodigious September winning streak, will get another boost to their postseason hopes this weekend. Opening Day starter Jack Flaherty is expected to be activated from the injured list to start the second game of Friday’s doubleheader, manager Mike Shildt told reporters tonight (Twitter links via Katie Woo of The Athletic). Flaherty isn’t fully stretched and will be more of an opener than a traditional starter, but his return is a notable development for a Cardinals club that now finds itself with a commanding lead on the second Wild Card spot in the National League.
Flaherty missed more than two months this summer with a severe oblique strain, and his return to the club lasted just three games before he went back on the shelf with a shoulder strain on Aug. 25. He’ll be returning without a minor league rehab assignment, though Flaherty has been throwing bullpen sessions as he works back toward the big league roster. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat tweeted this past weekend that Flaherty had thrown around 30 fastballs in a recent session, and Shildt said just yesterday that Flaherty had warmed up in the ’pen before throwing 15 or so pitches to live hitters on the field (video link via Bally Sports Midwest).
It’d be a surprise to see Flaherty go more than a couple of innings, but Friday’s outing could help to build him up a bit more for a lengthier outing sometime next week. He may not be fully stretched out by the time a theoretical postseason series would start, but Flaherty would presumably be a multi-inning option in some capacity early on — with a chance to build up further should the Cardinals make a deep run on the heels of their recent momentum.
It’s been another strong year for Flaherty when he’s been healthy enough to take the mound. The 25-year-old owns a 3.08 ERA with sharp strikeout and walk rates — 26.1 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively — through 76 innings so far on the season.
In similarly encouraging news for Cards fans, Shildt revealed in tonight’s media session that Dakota Hudson was scratched from a scheduled rehab start in Triple-A Memphis in case the club needs to activate him from the injured list over the next 48 hours (link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
Hudson, who owns a 3.17 ERA in 241 big league innings dating back to his 2018 debut, hasn’t pitched this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery late in the 2020 campaign. He was viewed as a long shot to make it back this year, but he’s now pitched 18 2/3 innings of 0.96 ERA ball across three minor league levels. Hudson pitched five innings in each of his two most recent outings and tossed 68 pitches on Sept. 17 in his lone appearance at the Triple-A level so far. Given that workload, he’d seemingly be an option to make a more conventional spot start and work on a pitch count, if needed, although he could certainly work as a multi-inning relief option as well.
Awesome. It will be great to have him back.
Awesome to have both back. One could be the closer. Such as Adam Wainwright accepted doing in the 2006 Playoffs and World Series
So 17dizzy how do you feel about Mo now and those trades for Lester and Happ?
At this point, the lack of coverage about moves from the Brewers compared with other teams, like the Cardinals, is laughable. Multiple roster moves involving key players and backups have taken place over the last 4 or 5 days with nary a whisper here. What gives?
seriously? like what, Brett Anderson activated? Pablo Reyes optioned? Telez? Ground breaking news…… After tonight they probably wish they’d have left Anderson on the IL. They can’t report EVERY move, and Anderson is NOT Flaherty. I’m 100% sure they’d have reported it of it were Woodruf or Burnes
Lmao key players
Unrelated: Major League Baseball’s single-season record for HBPs was broken tonight. Not sure which pitcher/batter combo was involved in the record-setter, but Daniel Bard plunking Will Smith was number 1,986. The record-setter might have been one of the two times Dodgers pitchers hit Charlie Blackmon tonight (watching with the sound off so not sure).
The old record was 1,984 in 2019, which broke the then-record of 1,922 set in 2018. Before that, the record was 1,890 from 2001.
MLB is on pace for 2,118 HBPs this season.
Wonder why that is. Oh it’s because most guys don’t know how to pitch. They know how to throw as hard as they can. Wonder if TJ are up. Wow really. A direct correlation? Really? Weird.
Seth Lugo had the perfect answer a couple of months ago. If you can’t control the baseball when throwing as hard as you can, then throw less hard.
Weird year for records. Batters and pitchers used have been obliterated. This will also be the fewest doubles hit since MLB expanded to 30 teams in 1998. The decline has been especially steep the last few years.
Weirdest of all, we are headed for the fourth-worst full season for triples since the American League came into existence in 1901. The worst three seasons are 1958, 1959, and `1960. Keep in mind that, back then, there were 16 teams playing 154 games. Now, we have 30 teams playing 162 games. More than twice as many overall games today with the same number of triples. One reason is defensive positioning. Another is ballparks not being tailored for that type of gap hitting. Yes, there are more home runs. But I miss the action that revolved around speed on the basepaths. One of my biggest thrills as a kid was being at a game in 1973 where my favorite player, Willie Davis, legged out a triple at Shea Stadium. Watching him go from first to third was spectacular.
All my opinions but, Doubles are dying bc players have figured out how to adjust to get the launch angle they want
Triples has to do a lot with ballpark like you said, but it also speaks to change in approach(same concept as doubles). In todays game you basically have to not only be fast, but have an extreme shift on you that you go against to get a triple. Then add that guys today are less likely to try to remain speedsters, and more likely to try to gain power… it all correlates
BeforeMcCourt, I agree with everything you’ve said, but 2021’s low amount of triples is extreme even when compared to recent years. MLB is on pace for 656 triples. In 2019, there were 785, which was the second-lowest total of the 3o-team and fourth lowest since 1968. So far this season, only six MLB have hit six or more triples.
Triples leaders.
David Peralta – 8
Akil Baddoo – 7
Ozzie Albies – 6
Jake Cronenworth – 6
Garrett Hampson – 6
Ahmed Rosario – 6
Those guys, you could argue, all have triples because of their ballpark. ATL, Det, SD, etc have odd dimensions/cutouts that aid triples.
I think the comment about the changing the type of balls every year below is legitimate to consider as well. But Idk, I feel like a lot of it is progress in learning how to adjust launch angle. Even Trea Turner is a power threat now. When I was a kid, a 20 HR SS was an elite elite player. Just feels like as the proof became more and more that you could change your swing in one offseason and have success, lots of guys are redoing their swing
So has nothing to do with the league changing the ball every other year and not properly rubbing them up?
I don’t think Bruhili hit Blackmon tbh I may be wrong but the replay I saw looked like he cleanly avoided it
Unless they have a work stoppage, it will be even higher next year too. Remember, sticky stuff was technically not illegal for part of this season.
What in the world? I think I’m in one of those Mandela Effect time warps that people talk about because I do NOT remember Dakota Hudson being that good of a pitcher! His career stats are terrific! How?!!? I always thought he was a 4th starter for the Cards that never fully developed and sat around a low to mid-4 ERA for his career. A 3.12 career ERA and a career ERA+ of 131? How?!?!?!
I hope I’m not alone in this notion because that is really strange to me.
Well, go look at his FIP. And his walks. There’s a lot of reason to think he’s not that good..
He lead mlb in walks in 19. If you’re a fan, you could see how he would feel worse than his numbers ended up. Must have had a ton of long innings. With that said, the era did surprise me a bit
He’s also young and the Cardinals defense is much improved since ’19. There’s also a lot to like about Hudson going forward.
Wasnt trying to say he has no future. it’s pretty likely he’ll settle in somewhere near the middle the FIP and ERAs. But perhaps the ground balls can help his era stay low despite the walks
rangers29-he was basically a 6th starter, behind jack, adam, carlos, kim and miles
rangers29-he was basically a 6th starter, behind jack, adam, carlos, kim and miles
rangers29-he was basically a 6th starter, behind jack, adam, carlos, kim and miles
rangers29-he was basically a 6th starter, behind jack, adam, carlos, kim and miles
rangers29-he was basically a 6th starter, behind jack, adam, carlos, kim and miles
mlbtr is messed up
Throw Jack in the bullpen. We’ve got Happ and Lester now.
I’m thinking maybe Flaherty will start for a few innings then maybe Hudson comes in for a few after that
Has anyone else noticed that most pics on mobile for pitchers are showing a change up grip? Or is it just me?