CHICAGO — The pitcher the Cardinals were so eager to have deliver the first pitch of their summer will be among the last of the starters to appear as they resume their season.
That is by design, by conservative, cautious design.
Jack Flaherty, the Cardinals’ opening-day starter, will throw a bullpen session Monday at Wrigley Field, and depending on how he recovers from that extended session, the Cardinals hope to have him start Wednesday’s Game 1 of a doubleheader at Wrigley Field. That would be two days shy of four weeks since he last threw a pitch to an opponent, and he’ll be the last member of the rotation to make a start since the Cardinals returned to the field Saturday.