The St. Louis Cardinals will be without Adam Wainwright to start the season, with the veteran right-hander going on the disabled list.
The National League Central should be a three-team race this season, but one of them is going to be starting at a mild disadvantage. After a spring that saw Adam Wainwright dealing with hamstring issues, the St. Louis Cardinals now see their veteran hit the disabled list less than a week before Opening Day.
With Wainwright going on the DL, it opens up an opportunity for youngster Jack Flaherty, one of the top prospects in the league. Flaherty, 22, was able to strike out 20 batters over 13 frames in Spring Training, all while posting an ERA of 4.85. The California native will help to fill out one of the better rotations in baseball, one that includes Carlos Martinez at the top alongside Michael Wacha and Luke Weaver.
While Wainwright isn’t expected to miss a ton of time, his absence will put more pressure on the rest of the rotation to carry the proverbial mail. The Central is loaded to the hilt at the top with the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers both in the mix.
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Chicago is the favorite considering it has won the division in each of the past two seasons, including a World Series victory back in 2016. The Brewers don’t have the pitching of the North Siders, but the lineup is considerable with the power of Ryan Braun, Domingo Santana, Travis Shaw and others. St. Louis might be the most well-rounded of the trio, giving the Cardinals a reason to believe that October will become a reality this fall.