On Sunday, the St. Louis Cardinals received a strong start from right-hander Jack Flaherty as they prevented a sweep at the hands of the Seattle Mariners.
The former ace ran into some trouble in the second inning, allowing three runs, but he settled into a groove after that inning and ended up giving the Cardinals six innings and earning his second win of the season.
And the right-hander threw some heat on Sunday, striking out nine Mariners batters over six innings of work.
He also walked just two and allowed five hits as the Cards picked up a much-needed win at T-Mobile Park.
On Twitter, the Cardinals posted a graphic to celebrate Flaherty’s accomplishment.
JacKKKKKKKKK Flaherty#STLCards pic.twitter.com/UofNkYdPHf
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 23, 2023
Heading into Sunday’s game, the Cardinals had recorded just two quality starts to begin the season.
Both of those belonged to left-hander Jordan Montgomery.
Fortunately for the Cardinals, another pitcher joined in on the fun in Seattle.
Flaherty’s ERA now sits at 3.29 after his solid outing on Sunday.
But St. Louis was in desperate need of a lengthy outing by a starter.
Flaherty did even more than that and threw some gas against a very powerful Mariners lineup that includes Julio Rodriguez, Teoscar Hernandez, Eugenio Suarez, J.P. Crawford, and Cal Raleigh.
St. Louis now has three quality starts on the season, with Flaherty’s nine-strikeout performance being the latest of them.
The team has endured more than its fair share of starting pitching struggles over the first month of the season, but a healthy Flaherty should help them as they try to right the ship.
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