St. Louis Cardinals: Alex Reyes sets Springfield Cardinals record in rehab start
Alex Reyes sets Springfield Cardinals record in his rehab start for the St. Louis Cardinals Double-A affiliate.
The St. Louis Cardinals are in dire need of reinforcements, with nine players currently on the dreaded Disabled list and 17 overall for the season. After a devastating loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, the Birds on the Bat could use something positive to lift their spirits.
About 216 miles south of St. Louis lies the answer, with top rookie eligible prospect Alex Reyes making his third rehabilitation start — this time with their Double-A affiliate the Springfield Cardinals.
After two strong starts to begin his journey back to the St. Louis Cardinals, the third time was even more of a charm with a record-setting/tying night with the baby birds.
That's it for Alex Reyes, who reaches his pitch limit and leaves with 2 outs in the seventh inning. Goes 7.2 innings, 93 pitches, gives up 1 hit and ties Springfield record with 13 strikeouts.
— Jim Connell (@Jim_Connell_417) May 20, 2018
His 13 strikeouts tie a franchise record for the Springfield Cardinals while allowing one measly hit and walking a duo of Arkansas Naturals.
Before arriving in Springfield for round three, Alex Reyes assortment of pitches is now coming together. According to our MiLB expert Benjamin Chase:
Reyes averaged 97.3 MPH on his four-seam fastball, 95.8 MPH on his sinker, 88.2 MPH on his changeup, 83.4 MPH on his slider, and 78 MPH on his hammer curve.
Through his first 3 rehab starts, Alex Reyes has pitched 16 innings, only giving up 6 hits and 6 BB, with 31 (!) strikeouts.
— worst team in nl (@CardinalsRant_) May 20, 2018
Yeah, he’s ready.#STLCards
He even hit 100 MPH on the gun, but that’s not even the most impressive aspect of his progress in recovering from Tommy John surgery. The hard curveball is the toughest pitch for Alex Reyes to locate. He tends to use it only when he’s in the bullpen, as he’ll pound hitters fastballs, followed by dirt a hard curve as his swing and miss pitch.
Alex Reyes drops this Curve to get his 7th strike out of the game.
— Birds on the Black (@birdsontheblack) May 20, 2018
58 pitches through 5.
He's mixing pitching, changing speeds.
Looks very good.#stlcards pic.twitter.com/k9Fm7gQhfP
With his newfound confidence in his hard curve, he’s beginning to use it more as a compliment to his primary pitches. Now, he’s 45-50 percent in commanding it, an improvement from 35-40 percent before his 2016 season injury.
Alex Reyes dazzles early on
— Birds on the Black (@birdsontheblack) May 19, 2018
Caught him looking with this beauty of a Curve#stlcards #trails pic.twitter.com/VhDfCo01kR
The St. Louis Cardinals could use him in the rotation, with Carlos Martinez still on the 10-day DL and is taking his time coming back, while veteran Adam Wainwright is shelved on the 60-day variety.
The return of Alex Reyes would give the St. Louis Cardinals the shot in the “arm” they need, who’s starting pitching is stellar even without him.
4 starting pitchers for the #STLCards now own sub 3.00 ERA's:
— Ryan (@The_Ryan_Shull) May 19, 2018
1. Carlos Martinez - 1.62
2. Miles Mikolas- 2.63
3. Michael Wacha- 2.83 (in progress)
4. Jack Flaherty- 2.87
And oh yeah, Alex Reyes returns in about 10 days.
Expect Alex Reyes to pick up where he left off in 2016, which boasted a 1.57 ERA, 4-1 record, 52 strikeouts, and even a save — while used in both starting and relief roles.
Next: DeJong’s injury more serious than expected
Even with a large assortment of setbacks in 2018, the return of Alex Reyes paired with Carlos Martinez and even Tylor Lyons could be what the doctor ordered in keeping the St. Louis Cardinals playoff hopes alive.