Adam Wainwright will make his 40th start against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium.
Compare that figure to the number of starts made by fellow rotation members Miles Mikolas (63), Jack Flaherty (54), Dakota Hudson (21) and Daniel Ponce de Leon (11). Those latter four numbers are career starts made against . . . everyone.
With the trade deadline a day-and-a-half away, the rotation could take on a different look before the end of the week — or even the end of the day. And while pitchers are highly protective of what they have and how deep their staff is, Wainwright, who will be 38 a month from Tuesday, is not blind to the importance of July 31.