The St. Louis Cardinals rotation is taking shape as the 2020 season opener approaches on Friday night against NL Central rival Pittsburgh at Busch Stadium. Adam Wainwright has been announced as the starter for the game against the Pirates on Saturday, after Jack Flaherty gets the baseball in the opener for Manager Mike Shildt.
Decisions yet to be made include a battle for the #5 spot in the rotation, with Kwang-Hyun Kim and Carlos Martinez dueling for that position. Unless there is a significant change in thinking, Miles Mikolas and Dakota Hudson look to be close to ‘sure bets’ to be in the #3 and #4 slots in the rotation on opening weekend.
Wainwright, in preparation for Saturday’s start, was expected to ramp up this workload, beginning Monday.
The Cardinals will host the cross-state rival Kansas City Royals on Wednesday afternoon in a exhibition at Busch Stadium. Mikolas and Martinez are expected to pitch for St. Louis, with the game starting at 3:05. The game will represent a homecoming for Mike Matheny, the former Cardinal skipper hired by the Royals for that position in 2020.
