Michael Wacha injury could push Cardinals out of contention
The Cardinals have been hanging around in the NL Central race on the strength of their starting pitching, but losing Michael Wacha could end their hopes.
The Cubs and Brewers are currently locked in a tense battle atop the NL Central. The Cardinals are lurking behind the front-runners at just 4.5 games back. St. Louis cannot afford to suffer any kind of significant injury if it wants to stay in the race.
Unfortunately, the oblique injury that Michael Wacha suffered in today’s start might doom the Cardinals. There’s no immediate information available regarding how much time he’ll miss, but a stint on the DL is very likely.
The talented right-hander is due to undergo an MRI on Thursday. Evidently, the injury was significantly impacting his breathing during his most recent start. That is the primary reason he was lifted from the game.
Wacha has actually been the team’s third most effective starter on the season. Miles Mikolas and Carlos Martinez have been objectively better, but that doesn’t mean Wacha isn’t enjoying a fine season. There are numerous MLB starting pitchers who would love to sport an ERA of 3.24 over 14 starts.
St. Louis has needed excellent starting pitching this season because its hitters certainly aren’t holding up their end of the bargain. Outside of Jose Martinez, you’re hard pressed to find another threatening bat in Mike Matheny’s lineup. If Wacha is going to miss significant time, several Cardinals’ hitters are going to need to increase their output to keep the team afloat.
It’s also possible that the Cardinals front office might decide to become sellers ahead of the trade deadline. That hasn’t been a frequent occurrence in St. Louis over the last decade, but it might be time to deal some veterans in an effort to restock the farm system. That wouldn’t be a very popular decision with the club’s passionate fanbase, but the market can survive a one-year absence from contention.
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As it stands, the team will wait to get a better understanding of just how long Wacha might be out before making a decision on what personnel moves they should make. If he’s scheduled to miss more than a couple turns in the rotation, look for the Cardinals to fall out of the race and become sellers before the deadline arrives.