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3. Can the rotation stay healthy?
Wainwright wasn’t the only pitcher to struggle with injuries last season, as Jaime Garcia, Carlos Martinez, Lance Lynn, and Jordan Walden all dealt with injuries and missed time, and Lynn will already miss 2016 after offseason Tommy John surgery.
Garcia has always been somewhat of a wild card due to injuries, but when he was healthy in 2015 the lefty was able to compile a 10-6 record with a 2.43 ERA; the Cardinals will be counting on him to make 25-30 starts and use his considerable talents over a full season to fend off the Cubs and Pirates.
Martinez will also be counted on in 2016 after being shut down at the end of last season due to a shoulder strain. As a full-time member of the rotation for the first time in 2015, Martinez opened eyes as the 23-year-old went 14-7 and compiled a 3.01 ERA en route to his first All-Star nod. Martinez is expected to be a full-go in 2016, and the team will need him to build off of his 2015 campaign that showed great promise.
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