The St. Louis Cardinals got their ace back.
Right-hander Jack Flaherty was activated from the 60-day injured list and started Friday night's game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. He pitched six innings of two-hit ball in St. Louis' 6-0 win, striking out five and walking none.
"Expectations are always high, and he was tremendous tonight,'' Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. "Jack was in control and he hit right where we wanted with his pitch count. It was a perfect outing and we're glad he's back.''
Flaherty (9-1) had not pitched since suffering a left oblique strain at the end of May.
"I just didn't try to do too much tonight,'' Flaherty said. "Once I got that first strike in there everything felt normal. I missed competing with these guys and being a part of the team was what I missed the most.''
Nolan Arenado hit his 23rd homer for St. Louis, which earned its fourth straight win. Tyler O'Neill and Lars Nootbaar also connected.
"Jack's been a great asset for us the past few years so it's a good feeling to have him back,'' Shildt said. "Everyone has a little more pep in their step.''
Royals manager Mike Matheny said, "Flaherty looked sharp coming back from injury and didn't make many mistakes.''
The Cardinals also placed left-hander Wade LeBlanc on the 10-day injured list with a left elbow injury. LeBlanc pitched only two innings in Thursday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing three runs.
LeBlanc, 37, has a 3.61 ERA in 12 appearances (eight starts) for the Cardinals after starting the season with the Baltimore Orioles.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
