Wainwright (2-0) picked up the win in the first half of Saturday's doubleheader against the White Sox, allowing one run on two hits over five innings. He struck out three and walked three.

EDGE Analysis

The Cardinals' COVID-19 outbreak meant that it had been exactly three weeks since Wainwright's last competitive pitch, but the veteran righty showed no signs of rust. He threw just 67 pitches, though that could have been a matter of game flow rather than a lack of stamina, as the seven-inning game meant the Cardinals could turn to high-leverage relievers as early as the sixth inning. The 38-year-old now owns a 1.64 ERA through his first two starts of the year, though his 8:4 K:BB in 11 innings doesn't support that number particularly well.

Wainwright will start the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the White Sox, assuming the team is cleared to resume play following their COVID-19 outbreak, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

EDGE Analysis

There's still a lot that has to go right for the Cardinals to be cleared to resume their season Saturday, but if they are indeed given the green light to play, the Redbirds will hand the ball to their veteran right-hander. St. Louis will go with a bullpen game for the second half of the doubleheader before handing the ball to Dakota Hudson on Sunday.

Wainwright (1-0) earned the win Saturday versus the Pirates after allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out five over six innings.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran right-hander finished with 83 pitches and typically would continue into the seventh frame, but it's no surprise manager Mike Shildt remained cautious in his first start after a short summer camp. Wainwright's second outing of the season is scheduled for next Saturday at Milwaukee.

Manager Mike Shildt said Thursday that Wainwright will start the second game of the season, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

EDGE Analysis

Wainwright will get the ball Saturday, July 25 when the Cardinals host the Pirates at Busch Stadium. The 38-year-old will pitch in four days to make sure he is lined up and ready to go. Wainwright is coming off his 14th season in St. Louis, in which he posted a 4.19 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 153:64 K:BB across 171.2 innings.

Wainwright threw four innings of live batting practice in Sunday's summer camp workout, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The heavy workload marked Wainwright's third time pitching four innings this calendar year, factoring in work he did on his own during the shutdown. The 60-game season will naturally result in much less wear and tear on the veteran right-hander's arm than he would have experienced in a full campaign, so there remains a possibility Wainwright returns for 2021 after initially looking likely to retire following 2020.

Wainwright, who was leaning toward making the 2020 season his last, is now much likelier to return in 2021 due to current circumstances, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

In his response to a reader question about the veteran right-hander's future beyond this year, Hummel notes Wainwright has recently been talking about the possibility of playing next year during the current shutdown. The chances of a return probably go up exponentially if the 2020 season is wiped out altogether, but even in the event of a 55-to-60-game campaign this year, the physical toll on Wainwright's arm will naturally be a fraction of what it would have been under normal circumstances. However, the 38-year-old is slated for unrestricted free agency next offseason, so it remains to be seen if Wainwright's perception of his value will align with that of the Cardinals or the open market overall.

Wainwright was one of several players to attend a workout at Busch Stadium on Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "It was fun to be out there competing again," Wainwright said. "I had a blast working counts against those two really good players. I was just out there playing chess. Pitching is still so fun."

EDGE Analysis

Wainwright and fellow hurler Kwang-Hyun Kim were on hand for the first opportunity to face live hitters in over two months, with the pair of pitchers throwing batting practice to Kolten Wong and Paul DeJong. The veteran right-hander has kept his arm in shape during the shutdown by playing catch with Kim regularly, and recent reports had the duo throwing from 300 feet out. The fact Wainwright now has access to the amenities at Busch Stadium should help in his quest to continue maintaining his condition ahead of a possible 2020 season.

Wainwright continues to work his arm out in some form at least six days per week, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran right-hander has not only continued his five-day-per-week throwing sessions with rotation mate Kwang-Hyun Kim, but the duo has actually upped its long-toss distance to almost 300 feet. Wainwright also reveals he's throwing to the team's bullpen catcher, Jamie Pogue, on one of the two days he's not playing catch, with the latter wearing a mask and a rubber glove on his throwing hand in order to keep the process safe. Wainwright reveals the extended layoff from baseball has helped him appreciate the game more and has also seemingly rejuvenated his arm, with the aforementioned distance achieved by him and Kim qualifying as one Wainwright hadn't managed in more than five years.

Wainwright has been playing catch from 120 feet out with teammate Kwang-Hyun Kim five days per week during the suspension of spring training, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

An extended layoff such as the current one has the potential to particularly set back Wainwright's readiness for the regular season, considering he's headed toward his age-38 campaign. The veteran right-hander therefore has benefited from Kim's decision to remain in St. Louis as opposed to heading back to South Korea, as it's given him a steady workout partner. Given he's keeping his arm relatively stretched out, Wainwright could ramp back up relatively quickly during any resumption of spring training ahead of a 2020 season.

Wainwright is one of the Cardinals particularly hurt by the current suspension of spring training, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hummel notes Wainwright appeared to be trending in the right direction when play was paused, as he'd fired five scoreless innings against the Marlins on March 12, a game that would turn out to be the final one for the Cardinals for the time being. However, instead of having at least one more opportunity to build momentum ahead of the regular season, Wainwright has been forced to maintain his own throwing program while awaiting baseball's potential re-start. The 38-year-old right-hander, who's coming off a solid 14-10 record in 2019, projects as the No. 4 starter in the rotation this coming season.