MLB Power Rankings: Which pitching rotation is the best in baseball?
By Phil Akre
3. St. Louis Cardinals
Although the St. Louis Cardinals are owners of a 30-24 record behind the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, they can certainly be happy about their rotation.
Before hitting the 10-day DL, Carlos Martinez looked nearly un-hittable. He compiled a 1.62 ERA, a minuscule 0.2 HR/9 and a ridiculous 238 ERA+. The same goes for Alex Reyes, the teams prized arm, albeit a much smaller sample size.
Before being pulled after four innings, Reyes allowed just three hits and no runs while striking out two. It’s not known if he’ll be making his next start, but manager Mike Matheny probably isn’t too worried.
There’s two reasons he won’t rush Reyes. For one, opponents are hitting a combined .228 against his starters. The other reason? Jack Flaherty.
The 22-year-old rookie has been lights out this season. In 34.1 innings through six starts, he’s struck out 36, walked nine and pitched to a 2.62 ERA. If he keeps this up, he’ll be in the running for NL Rookie of the Year.
Michael Wacha has reclaimed his status as one of the (very) above-average starters in the league. With a 2.71 ERA, 6-1 record and just four home runs allowed, Wacha has looked every bit the part of an ace.
Mike Mikolas (who?) has also been fantastic. The journeyman has pitched like an ace, as he flashes a 2.58 ERA, 0.980 WHIP and a walk rate of just 0.9 BB/9.
When you take this all into consideration, it’s no wonder Cardinals’ starters have combined for the leagues third-best ERA (3.06).