Leake (3-1) gave up seven hits and a walk over six scoreless innings in Sunday's 3-0 Grapefruit League win over the Marlins. He struck out two.

EDGE Analysis

Leake became the first Cardinals starter to throw six innings in a game this spring, firing 74 pitches over his time on the mound. The veteran righty leads all St. Louis starters with 26 spring frames and he continued to use groundballs to his advantage Sunday, generating three double plays and an assorted number of other groundball outs as well. He'll pitch in a final tune-up for the regular season in an exhibition at Springfield, Missouri on Friday, an outing in which he hopes to go at least seven innings.

Leake gave up four earned runs on five hits and three walks over five innings in Monday's 12-6 Grapefruit League win over the Astros. He struck out three.

EDGE Analysis

Leake's performance was a definite mixed bag, as he induced four double plays over his first four innings but also gave up a two-run double to Jake Marisnick and run-scoring single to Josh Reddick. The veteran righty also experienced some rare control issues, walking the leadoff batter in three straight innings. He did work up to 77 pitches, throwing 45 of them for strikes, and is now 2-1 with a 4.95 ERA over five spring starts.

Leake (2-1) gave up three earned runs on four hits and two walks over four innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League loss to the Twins.

EDGE Analysis

Leake opened the start looking as effective as he had most of spring in not allowing a baserunner through his first two innings. However, he ran into trouble in the third by giving up a pair of line-drive singles, a walk and an opposite-field two-run double to Joe Mauer. He was effective during the rest of his outing, however, with manager Mike Matheny particularly pleased with his location and movement. "I think that's something he's just going to build his game around is working the corners, being down. The ground ball is his game and I think he's got more swing-and-miss stuff. I like how he's challenging guys in the bottom of the zone. We're seeing really good movement down there."

Leake (2-0) gave up an earned run on one hit over four innings in Friday's 7-1 Grapefruit League win over the Nationals. He struck out two.

EDGE Analysis

Leake's sole hiccup was the solo homer he surrendered to Bryce Harper, as he otherwise turned in a highly effective performance. The veteran right-hander breezed through his four frames on 41 pitches, firing 29 of them for strikes. He kept the ball down as well, inducing eight groundball outs and firing five different pitches. The 29-year-old is naturally encouraged by the results, which include zero walks over 11 innings thus far. "I think I can say this is the most mature I've felt in my whole career," Leake said. "I feel like I'm at the most comfortable with the big leagues that I've been."

Leake (1-0) surrendered three earned runs on six hits in Sunday's 14-11 Grapefruit League win over the Mets. He struck out one.

EDGE Analysis

After a crisp effort Tuesday against the Braves in which he fired three perfect innings, Leake had to work harder Sunday. He got into trouble early by giving up a solo homer to Yoenis Cespedes in the first before surrendering two more runs on a sacrifice fly by T.J. Rivera and a double by Travis d'Arnaud in the fourth. Despite the blemishes, Leake came away with plenty of positives. "It was not quite as crisp as the last game, but it was a good one to learn on and build off of," said Leake, who had retired all nine batters in his first spring start. "I think for the most part I was able to locate my fastball and cutter, but I still have room to get better."

Leake fired three perfect innings in Tuesday's 2-0 Grapefruit League loss to the Braves. He struck out three.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran right-hander got his spring off to an ideal start, setting down a regular Braves lineup that included Freddie Freeman and Matt Kemp on an efficient 32 pitches, 21 of which he threw for strikes. Leake had solid command of his sinker, as evidenced by the six groundouts he induced over a nine-batter sample. The 29-year-old is still in the process of putting weight back on after having endured a bout with shingles late last season, and hopes to reach 180 pounds by the start of the regular season. His efficiency Tuesday allowed him to surpass his original projected two-inning workload and drew rave reviews from his boss. "He already looks so much sharper than when we saw him early on last year," manager Mike Matheny said after the 2-0 loss. "He's in a great place."

Leake said he is "completely over" the shingles that caused him to miss a couple weeks in late August and Early September last season, and said he is ready to start gaining weight, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

Leake currently weighs just 170 pounds, while he would prefer to weigh about 190. He was 0-3 with a 5.47 ERA over his final five starts, which the shingles may have had some effect on. He finished the season with a 4.69 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 30 starts. He'll hope that adding weight will increase his strength and improve those numbers in 2017.

Leake (9-12) took the loss in his final start of the year after allowing two runs on five hits over five innings against the Reds. He struck out six and didn't issue a walk.

EDGE Analysis

It certainly wasn't a bad outing, but it was a short one and the Cardinals were unable to muster much offense anyway, sticking them with a loss they could ill afford as they battle for a wild-card spot. This was one of Leake's worst campaigns in the majors, as his 4.69 ERA represents a career high and his 1.32 WHIP is the righty's highest mark since 2012. But he's on a long-term deal in St. Louis, so he'll have plenty of chances to find himself next year.

Leake (9-11) gave up five earned runs on seven hits, two pitches and three walks over 3.1 innings in Friday's 5-0 loss to the Cubs. He also recorded a strikeout.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran right-hander's troubles primarily came in the first inning, with the Cubs getting to him for four runs. Dexter Fowler opened the scoring by coming home on the first of two of Leake's wild pitches and Anthony Rizzo brought home Kris Bryant with a double. Ben Zobrist then followed with an RBI single that plated Bryant and Chris Coghlan continued his considerable career success against Leake with a two-bagger later in the inning that drove in Jason Heyward. The outing equaled Leake's shortest of the season, matching the 3.1 innings he'd lasted against the Mariners back on June 25. Leake has endured a rough September, giving up 14 runs (13 earned) on 29 hits in 19.2 innings over four starts. He'll look to close out the season in positive fashion when he takes on the Reds next Wednesday.

Leake allowed just two runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts in Saturday's start versus the Giants. He did not factor into the decision.

EDGE Analysis

Leake threw first-pitch strikes to 19 of 25 batters Saturday and primarily pitched to contact, as 15 of the outs he recorded came via ground out or fly out. It was Leake's most effective start since returning from the disabled list on Sep. 7, and it was his second straight quality start. With his performances trending up, Leake will face a tough challenge in his next start Friday at Wrigley Field.