Mozeliak optimistic as Flaherty gets fiery in strong rehab start

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Whereas Cardinals right-hander Jack Flaherty came into Sunday’s third Minor League rehab start with a workmanlike mentality, the highly competitive side of him took over in the fourth inning when Double-A Arkansas loaded the bases with two singles and a walk.

That was the moment, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak would say later from seats just behind home plate, when Flaherty’s competitive fire took over and he resembled the staff ace of 2019 and the team’s Opening Day starter in 2020 and ’21.

Flaherty, sidelined since late June with a right shoulder strain, pitched his way out of trouble by fanning three straight batters to end his final inning for the Springfield Cardinals. First, Flaherty used a 95 mph sinker that had 11 inches of vertical break, according to Statcast, to get Zach DeLoach to whiff on a check swing. Then, Flaherty’s 79 mph curveball (13 inches of vertical break) and an 86 mph cutter (7 inches of horizontal fade) got Kaden Polcovich and Jake Anchia to whiff to get out of the jam.

“I had to find a way to execute,” Flaherty said after allowing a run and four hits over four innings while striking out seven and walking one in Springfield's 6-5 victory. “When the game starts, it’s, ‘Hey, we want to throw more of this [particular pitch],’ but then it’s, ‘OK, we’re in this spot and now we’ve got to compete and put up zeros.’”

Flaherty, who started the 2021 season 9-1 before being hampered by oblique and shoulder injuries, is hoping to make it back to the Cardinals' rotation this season before the playoffs. He is expected to make one more rehab start -- likely Friday at Triple-A Memphis while throwing as many as 90 pitches -- and he tentatively could return to the Cardinals by their Aug. 29-31 series in Cincinnati.

Mozeliak, who recently brought stability to the Cardinals' pitching staff by dealing for left-handers Jordan Montgomery and José Quintana prior to the Trade Deadline, liked what he saw in Sunday’s fourth inning from Flaherty. Already, he’s dared to dream about what the Cardinals' pitching staff could look like if Flaherty can find the form that he had in recent years before injuries hit. Potentially, the Cardinals could add Steven Matz (torn MCL) and Flaherty and have to drop a pitcher from their starting staff.

“If you allow yourself to dream a little bit -- that is free, right? -- you sort of think back to 2019, and what would we look like if we could get that again?” Mozeliak said. “Getting that would change the dynamic of our club overall. Right now, there is some optimism based on what we saw today, which was great. We’re going to keep our fingers crossed that we have to make those type of decisions.”

No one is pulling harder for Flaherty to make it back to the big leagues than Arkansas Travelers right-hander Taylor Dollard, the No. 7-ranked prospect in the Mariners system, per MLB Pipeline, who is 12-2 this season with a 1.93 ERA. Flaherty, 26, and Dollard, 23, have known each other since the latter was 8 years old and they were playing in the same Los Angeles-based youth baseball league.

“Jack’s taken me under his wing and helped me pursue a big league career,” said Dollard, who ranks first in several major Texas League pitching statistics. “He’s helped me with my work ethic, planning my routines and throwing certain pitches.

“It’s been really tough with Jack with the injuries, and it’s hard to see him go through it because he works harder than anybody I’ve ever met,” Dollard said. “To see him sidelined is tough, but if there’s a person who can handle it and come back stronger and better, it’s Jack.”

While throwing 66 pitches on Sunday, Flaherty's fastball topped out at 96 (twice) and 95 (twice) and averaged 93 mph. He had a strikeout looking in the first inning, needed just 10 pitches in the second inning while striking out two more and he pitched out of jams in the third and fourth innings.

Asked if he felt ready to pitch again in the big leagues without making a fourth rehab start, Flaherty curtly said: “Not my decision. Never has been and that’s still my mindset.” Flaherty’s rehab was cut short in mid-June, but pain returned in his shoulder after three shaky starts with the Cardinals. There are no such concerns this time, Flaherty said.

“It feels good to come out of it healthy,” he said of Sunday’s outing. “Obviously, you want to come out of there on a positive note, but it feels really good to come out of there healthy.”