WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 20: Adam Wainwright #50 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Washington Nationals in the second inning of the MLB game at Nationals Park on April 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals have overworked their bullpen to start this season.
It’s something that manager Mike Shildt has continually stated is not sustainable. Their starting pitchers, with the exception of Jack Flaherty, have not pitched deep into games.
It’s caused the bullpen to have an immense workload to begin the season, when teams have wanted to manage workloads to start the year as there is an increase worry about pitcher injuries ramping up from 60 to 162 games.