The St. Louis Cardinals' frustration continues to grow, this time with Jack Flaherty's outburst after a five-inning outing against the Chicago Cubs.
After a second consecutive rough outing, this time with his velocity fluctuating between the upper 80s and mid-90's, reporters asked St. Louis Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty about it. Flaherty snapped back.
"The next time somebody wants to mention the velocity of my fastball, just, I'm not going to answer that question. I'm gonna play with the velocity of my fastball based on what the game calls for. I can get outs if I need to get outs at 95. I'm going to play with it. I've always played with it. I've thrown fricken fastballs at 87 before in games when I've been at my best.
Flaherty added: "I'm just saying, because y'all want to make a big deal out of it, I'm tired of it. It's so ridiculous."
Reporters were right to ask Flaherty about the velocity decrease. Yes, he has played with his velocity in the past, and it's allowed him to play off his slider with more effectiveness. But he has also dealt with an assortment of injuries in the past and in August 2021, his velocity cratered and he had to leave a start due to a shoulder injury.
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On Tuesday, Flaherty's velocity was down one mph from his season average, and his season ERA increased to 6.18 as he allowed seven hits, five walks and three runs over five innings pitched against the Chicago Cubs.
Flaherty's frustration likely stemmed more from a disappointing start to the Cardinals' season than it did with the line of questioning about his velocity. The Cardinals have had an unprecedented amount of off-field drama — manager Oli Marmol publicly criticizing Tyler O'Neill and Willson Contreras shockingly being removed as starting catcher — not to mention their 13-24 start to the season.
It's taken a toll on all Cardinals players, and that frustration once again revealed itself on Tuesday night. That frustration — and Flaherty's drop in velocity — only adds even more concern to what has been an incredibly disappointing season in St. Louis.