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Cardinals Carve Out A New Role For A Key Pitcher

Originally posted on The Cold Wire  |  By Curt Bishop  |  Last updated 8/4/22

The St. Louis Cardinals were busy at the trade deadline, acquiring veteran starters Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery.

St. Louis was desperate for some innings out of their starters and to fill the holes left by Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz, who are both on the injured list.

The new acquisitions have forced manager Oliver Marmol to shuffle his pitching staff a little bit.

Andre Pallante, who had been in the rotation for some time and performed well, was moved back to the bullpen.

Marmol said that the decision to move Pallante to the pen, even after his dominant start on Sunday against the Washington Nationals, was not based on his performance as a starter, but rather, the belief that he can perform just as well back in the bullpen.

Pallante Moved Back To The Pen

For many Cardinals fans, this news may come as a bit of a surprise.

Dakota Hudson, who will start on Friday against the New York Yankees, has struggled in the rotation this year, posting an ERA of 4.10.

Hudson’s struggles made it apparent that the Cardinals needed to do something to address the innings shortage in their rotation, as in his most recent start, Hudson failed to get through the fifth inning.

Pallante on the other hand, nearly threw a complete game the following day.

It would make more sense for the Cardinals to move Hudson to the bullpen.

At the same time, Pallante performed very well in his relief role before he was moved to the rotation, and he should slot back into the bullpen nicely.

The Cardinals do finally have the innings coverage they needed in their rotation.

Pallante being back in the bullpen should at the very least, help take some pressure off of Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos, and Ryan Helsley.

This article first appeared on The Cold Wire and was syndicated with permission.

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