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.

Flaherty will start Saturday's Grapefruit League opener against the Mets and likely work two innings or up to 30 pitches, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander unsurprisingly will get the call after finishing the 2019 season in dominant fashion, generating an 0.91 ERA over 15 post-All-Star-break starts. Flaherty is also the likely Opening Day starter against the Reds on March 26, although manager Mike Shildt wouldn't confirm as much when asked Wednesday.

Flaherty was named the starter for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Nationals on Monday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Flaherty was effective in his two starts in the NLDS, posting a 2.76 ERA with a 16:2 K:BB over 13 innings against the Braves. Miles Mikolas will start Game 1 of the series with Adam Wainwright handling the starting duties for Game 2.

Flaherty (1-1) earned the win with six innings of one-run ball, giving up four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in Wednesday's 13-1 win over the Braves in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.

EDGE Analysis

Flaherty was spotted 10 -- yes, 10 -- runs by his offense in the top of the first but certainly did his part nonetheless. A solo home run by Josh Donaldson in the fourth inning accounted for the lone Atlanta run. The 23-year-old Flaherty was dominant throughout the regular season and posted a 2.76 ERA with a 16:2 K:BB ratio over 13 innings in his two NLDS starts. Flaherty and the Cardinals will face the Nationals in the National League Championship Series.

Flaherty will start Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Braves on Wednesday should it be necessary, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Flaherty will start Game 5 for the Cardinals if they can beat the Braves at home in the fourth game of the series Monday. The 23-year-old went seven innings in Game 2, allowing three earned runs off eight hits and one walk while recording eight strikeouts as he was charged with a loss. Wednesday's starting assignment will likely make Flaherty unavailable out of the bullpen for Game 4.

Flaherty will start Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Braves on Friday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The move was widely expected, but manager Mike Shildt confirmed Flaherty as the starter during media availability Wednesday. The 23-year-old posted a 0.91 ERA with a 0.71 WHIP in 15 starts over the second half of the season while amassing a 7-2 record during that time.

Flaherty (11-8) earned the win against the Cubs on Sunday, hurling seven scoreless innings and giving up two hits and one walk while striking out six.

EDGE Analysis

Flaherty's gem was a fitting conclusion to a regular season in which the 23-year-old established himself as one of the most promising young pitchers in baseball. The right-hander needed only 69 pitches, 48 of which were strikes, to navigate seven easy innings and pick up the win to lead the Cardinals to the NL Central title. Flaherty finishes 2019 with an 11-8 record while ranking fourth in the National League in ERA (2.75), first in WHIP (0.97), first in BAA (.192) and sixth in strikeouts (231). He was downright dominant during the second half of the season, posting a minuscule 0.91 ERA and 0.71 WHIP over 15 starts. Flaherty will look to continue his stretch of success in the NLDS.

Flaherty will start Sunday's season finale against the Cubs, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Flaherty wasn't originally scheduled to start this weekend, but the Cardinals were unable to secure the NL Central crown and dropped the first two games of the series to the Cubs, so the team's ace will take the mound in an attempt to secure a spot in the NLDS. The 28-year-old has been completely dominant since the All-Star break with a 0.97 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 118:22 K:BB across 92.1 innings (14 starts)

Although Flaherty isn't scheduled to pitch in the final series of the season against the Cubs this coming weekend, he could be called upon to start Sunday's regular-season finale if the NL Central remains up for grabs, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Flaherty has been nearly unhittable since the All-Star break, generating an 0.97 ERA over 14 second-half starts. While the ideal scenario would naturally see Flaherty start either a Wild Card Game Tuesday on six days' rest or Game 1 of a divisional series on eight days' rest Thursday, manager Mike Shildt may have to call on his ace instead of Adam Wainwright if the Cardinals haven't been able to gain sufficient separation from the Brewers in the NL Central race entering Sunday.