MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JULY 28: Carlos Martinez #18 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of the home opener at Target Field on July 28, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals’ rotation entered the regular season with many questions. Would Jack Flaherty bounce back from his 2020 performance? Would Adam Wainwright still be effective in his age-39 season? Who would fill out the back-end of the rotation, especially with Kwang-hyun Kim and Miles Mikolas missing time with injuries?
The answer to the last question — part of it, at least — was Carlos Martinez.