Cardinals To Go With 4-Man Pitching Rotation
Jun 18, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (50) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
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The St. Louis Cardinals will go with a 4 man rotation until July 6th when Joe Kelly will make the start against the Miami Marlins Mike Matheny said on Tuesday night. Here is the complete story. The expectation was that Joe Kelly would be the 5th starter but with 3 off day in between now and July 6th, Mike Matheny thought it would be best to just go with a 4 man rotation.
"“We’re going to skip Joe Kelly in the rotation this first time through,” Matheny said. “Everybody will still get one day’s extra rest, so it’s going to be normal for them. They won’t know the difference.”"
Joe Kelly is okay with this decision and is happy that he gets the opportunity to do this.
"“Being the long guy out of the ‘pen, my arm’s ready to go for all situations,” Kelly said. “When the off-days are over, I’ll be ready then, too. It’s ultimately the skipper and GM’s decision, but it’s exciting to have at least the opportunity.”"
I have been advocating for a 4 man rotation for some time and I believe Matheny should make this permanent or bring Michael Wacha back up from Memphis. But I believe they will leave Michael Wacha down in Triple A until September. So the hope now is that Joe Kelly can step up and be the 5th starter, Jaime Garcia gets healthy, or the Cardinals go with a 4 man rotation. Whatever decision the Cardinals make, they need to make sure it works because you can’t afford to have an unreliable 5th starter in a close NL Central race.