3 bold player predictions for the St. Louis Cardinals 2022 postseason run
By Kevin Henry
2. José Quintana will continue to look like an ace
Acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the MLB trade deadline, Quintana has become a go-to arm for the Cardinals. While pitching matchups have not been announced yet (as of Wednesday morning) for the Wild Card round, Quintana will almost certainly be one of the first two pitchers taking the mound against the Phillies this weekend.
Over his last eight outings, Quintana has logged a 1.47 ERA and 2.18 FIP, allowing just 35 hits and seven earned runs in 43.0 innings. During that stretch, he has walked just seven while striking out 32 and not allowing a home run.
Two of those outings, by the way, came against the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, teams the Cardinals could see as the postseason bracket moves along.
Quintana does have postseason experience, making three starts for the Chicago Cubs in 2017. While it’s been a few years, having those postseason starts will likely help erase any butterflies the veteran pitcher might feel as meaningful October baseball begins.
The Cardinals needed to shore up their rotation at the trade deadline, and acquiring the 33-year-old southpaw will likely go down as one of the best moves made among all MLB teams before the trade deadline expired.