Wacha enters the 2016 season, his third as a starter for the Cardinals, looking to put together the full season portended by his October 2013 excellence. His 2014 was interrupted by a shoulder injury. His 2015 saw his first All-Star invite and a climb to 181 1/3 innings, but flighty mechanics.

Now 2016 is there for his taking.

“Thirty-five starts. Two-hundred-plus innings. That’s what’s next,” pitching coach Derek Lilliquist said. “He’s training himself and learning how to do that. It’s one thing to say that you’re going to throw 200 innings and make 35 starts and be that kind of starter. But what about 230 innings? What are you going to do to get there, to still get yourself those last 10 starts and allowing your adrenaline to pull you through them. What can you do to be competitive in those six starts that you don’t have your best stuff? That’s where he is.”