Two pitchers at different points in their careers but with something to prove will face off as starters Monday in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park.
For Pittsburgh right-hander Chris Archer (6-8, 4.31 ERA in 2018), it will be living up to the rousing reception he received from the Pirates and their fans after he came over in a trade from Tampa Bay last season.
For St. Louis right-hander Adam Wainwright (2-4, 4.46 ERA in 2018), it will be proving he is still effective and relevant at age 37 and after batting injuries.
Archer struggled some with the Rays, and that continued with the Pirates despite the fans welcoming him — and his upbeat personality — as a potential long-term mainstay in the rotation.
He was 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA in 10 starts with Pittsburgh but felt more comfortable over his final three starts. In September he was 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.
“Once I got my feet on the ground here, I showed the fan base what I was capable of,” Archer told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The Pirates split a rain-shortened two-game series in Cincinnati to open the season. They altered their rotation in the wake of Saturday’s rainout so that Archer could remain the starter for the home opener.
“I’ve never been a part of it. I’ve only heard. And I can’t wait to experience it,” the two-time All-Star said.
Archer has recovered from November hernia surgery to join a pitching staff that has widely been pegged as Pittsburgh’s strength.
Archer — who has no decisions and a 3.08 ERA in two career starts spanning 11 1/3 innings against St. Louis — buys in, especially in terms of the rotation.
“Every night, we have a chance to win based off who’s on the mound,” Archer told the Tribune-Review. “If we just keep doing what we can do, we’re going to be playing in October. That’s what we want to do — and not just a wild card. Wild card is not where we want to be. We want to win the division.”
That feat, winning the National League Central, has been much more closely tied to the potential of St. Louis, which lost three of four in a season-opening series at Milwaukee.
The Cardinals on Monday turn to Wainwright. The three-time All-Star has finished in the top three in Cy Young Award voting four times and has won two Gold Gloves.
But he is older now and has been limited by injuries. He pitched in just eight games last year, all starts, totaling 40 1/3 innings.
This is Wainwright’s 14th major league season, and there has been speculation it might be his last. If so, he expects a good one to go out on, with key holdovers plus the addition of slugger Paul Goldschmidt and reliever Andrew Miller.
“This is a postseason roster,” he told the Cardinals website. “There’s nowhere you can point that that part of our game can’t play in the postseason. When I look at our lineup and I look at our bullpen and I look at our starting rotation, I don’t see many holes.”
Wainwright staying healthy would help. He was on the injured list three times last season because of hamstring and elbow problems, although he was able to make four starts in September.
Wainwright doesn’t have the power he once did, but St. Louis still sees a lot of value.
“He’s super smart,” manager Mike Shildt told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’s highly prepared. He knows what weapons he has, and he distributes them based on how he can execute them. Maybe the weapons have changed a little bit, but nonetheless they’re still weapons, and you just use them in a different manner.”
Against Pittsburgh in his career, Wainwright is 13-7 with a 4.36 ERA.