Flaherty (1-0) earned the victory over Pittsburgh on Friday, completing seven innings and giving up two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out six.

EDGE Analysis

Flaherty looked every bit an ace on Opening Day, throwing 62 of 89 pitches for strikes in an efficient seven innings. He held the Pirates scoreless until the seventh frame and yielded only six singles on the night. The right-hander broke through with a dominant second half last season and will look to cement his place as one of the game's elite hurlers in the abbreviated 2020 campaign. His next test will come at Milwaukee on the final day of July.

Flaherty, who'll start Opening Day against the Rangers, allowed three earned runs while recording 10 outs across 92 pitches in an intrasquad scrimmage Sunday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander faced plenty of regulars and gave up a first-inning home run to Matt Carpenter, a leadoff triple in the second to Lane Thomas, and a two-run double to Paul DeJong as far as extra-base hits. Flaherty also struggled with control, getting just 52 of his offerings into the strike zone. Despite the uneven performance from his ace, manager Mike Shildt didn't convey concern following the game, instead focusing on the progress the team's hitters seem to be making in getting their timing down ahead of the start of the season.

Manager Mike Shildt announced Flaherty as his Opening Day starter for the July 24 opener against the Pirates, FOX Sports Midwest reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 24-year-old will unsurprisingly remain the Cardinals' top option for Opening Day despite the multi-month shutdown. Flaherty flashed his ace potential in 2019 with a 2.75 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 231:55 K:BB over 196.1 innings, finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting thanks to a dominant second half (0.91 ERA and .142 BAA).

Flaherty allowed one run on two hits and two walks over three innings while striking out two in Thursday night's intrasquad game at Busch Stadium, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The staff ace threw 43 pitches overall, and he got out of a particularly tight jam in the third after loading the bases with a walk to Justin Williams and back-to-back singles from Edmundo Sosa and Dexter Fowler. Flaherty ultimately only allowed one run on an RBI fielder's choice by Tommy Edman and was able to get in a solid amount of work, lending credence to the notion he could be ready for at least a five-inning workload in a July 24 Opening Day start against the Pirates.

Flaherty received praise for his work during the Cardinals' first summer camp workout at Busch Stadium on Friday, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

The staff ace and projected Opening Day starter wasted no time getting back into the thick of things, facing several of his teammates in live batting practice. Pitching coach Mike Maddux described Flaherty as being in mid-season form to manager Mike Shildt, certainly an encouraging sign given the right-hander's importance to the team's fortunes.

Flaherty is tabbed as a potential ace of the Cardinals' staff by team beat writer Anne Rogers, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander was arguably already worthy of the title during the second half of last season, during which he posted an 0.91 ERA, .142 BAA and 124:23 K:BB across 99.1 post-All-Star-break frames. Flaherty ultimately finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting, and he was set for an Opening Day start before play was suspended. Rogers notes the one missing component for Flaherty's ascension to the next level is consistency, as the 24-year-old posted an elevated 4.64 ERA in the first half of the 2019 campaign. As such, Flaherty emphasized through the offseason and spring training that staying strong from start to finish was his main focus coming into 2020, and he'll still look to make good on that vow during what projects to be an abbreviated season.

Flaherty is likely to throw at least 45 pitches in twice-a-week bullpen sessions while Grapefruit League play remains suspended, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Rogers reports manager Mike Shildt and his staff are in the process of setting up a maintenance program for the team's starting pitchers to follow during the suspension of spring training. The templates will be individualized to an extent for each player, but Flaherty's is likely to fall approximately within the 45-pitch, twice-a-week guideline. The right-hander will open the 2020 season as the ace of the staff and had already worked up to 68 pitches in his most recent start Tuesday, his fourth in Grapefruit League action.

Flaherty fired three scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League win over the Red Sox on Tuesday, allowing three hits and two walks while recording five strikeouts.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander lowered his spring ERA to 3.09 in what was his fourth start of Grapefruit League play, but Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports the right-hander was actually frustrated with allowing five runners to reach base during the 68-pitch outing. The biggest source of Flaherty's ire was the second inning, when he surrendered two singles and a walk before snuffing out the threat with an impressive strikeout of Andrew Benintendi. Flaherty is likely to push his pitch count into the 75-80 range at minimum in his next spring start, projected for Sunday or Monday if he remains on his normal schedule.

Flaherty opened Saturday's 2-0 Grapefruit League win over the Mets and fired two scoreless innings during which he allowed two hits and recorded three strikeouts.

EDGE Analysis

Just named the Opening Day starter, Flaherty put on a performance worthy of the honor against a Mets lineup with several regulars. The right-hander worked around a one-out J.D. Davis double in the first with strikeouts of Brandon Nimmo and Dominic Smith before getting through a relatively uneventful second inning during which he yielded only a single to Luis Guillorme. Flaherty will build his innings/pitch count up over subsequent spring outings ahead of his aforementioned March 26 date with the Reds to kick off the 2020 regular season.

Flaherty was confirmed as the starter for Opening Day on Saturday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Manager Mike Shildt declined to confirm Flaherty as the starter for Opening Day on Wednesday, but he gave the confirmation Saturday ahead of his scheduled start in the Grapefruit League opener. The 24-year-old was dominant last season, logging a 2.75 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 196.1 innings in 2019.