The second half is upon us.
It’s time to dive right into the dog days of the 2022 season.
This is where we will discover who the true contenders are and which teams ultimately end up being long-shots.
For the St. Louis Cardinals, the time is now to get on a roll to try and dethrone the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.
Tonight, they open up a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Katie Woo of The Athletic revealed their rotation plans for the weekend on Twitter.
Adam Wainwright will get the ball tonight for game one of the series.
Steven Matz will start on Saturday, with Miles Mikolas starting the series finale on Sunday.
Here’s the #STLCards rotation in CIN to open the second half on Friday. With Dakota Hudson on the IL and an assortment of off-days on the schedule, the Cardinals will use a four-man rotation through their upcoming three-city, eight-game road trip. pic.twitter.com/WfVMi3LjD0
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) July 21, 2022
Waino, Mikolas Set For Reds Series
The Cards are rolling out their aces.
They understand that now is the time to get on a run.
As Woo also mentioned in her tweet, the Cards will be going with a four-man rotation for the first two series of the second half.
Andre Pallante will get the ball in Tuesday’s series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, which leads them back to Wainwright for the second game.
The Cardinals are going to need some pitching at the trade deadline, particularly in their rotation.
For now, it’s smart to roll out their two aces for the first series of the second half.
Wainwright and Mikolas have paced the team’s rotation and have led the way, but with Dakota Hudson and Jack Flaherty out and Matz being a basket case, they’ll need to search for a starter.
Still, it’s good to start out the second half strong.
These are still key games.
The Cardinals will be relying heavily on Mikolas and Wainwright down the stretch.
NEXT: Albert Pujols Took Home A Well-Deserved Award At The ESPYS