Ryan Helsley injury makes Cardinals collapse even more devastating

Things might get even worse for the St. Louis Cardinals after the ninth-inning collapse with Ryan Helsley’s status in flux due to injury.

Friday was rough for the St. Louis Cardinals, who blew a 2-0 lead in the top of the ninth to lose Game 1 of the NL Wildcard series against the Phillies.

Closer Ryan Helsley had been a stud for STL in his first All-Star season but his first appearance of the 2022 postseason went all wrong. He took the loss by allowing four earned runs, hitting a batter with the bases loaded to start the meltdown.

It turns out Helsley was dealing with an injury, one which has now put the rest of his playoffs in jeopardy.

Ryan Helsley injury update: Cardinals pitcher needs x-rays

Per Bob Nightengale, Helsley needs x-rays on his finger, which he jammed on Tuesday against Pittsburgh. He lost feeling in the digit during the ninth inning.

Given Helsley’s performance this season, it sure seems like the numbness in his finger impacted his pitching on Friday.

Since he threw 33 pitches in Game 1, his availability for Game 2 could be in question even if the x-rays come back clean. Oliver Marmol may not want to overwork the pitcher. That could put the Cardinals in a tough spot on Saturday night. A loss would eliminate them from the playoffs. Having Helsley, even after Friday’s collapse, would still be preferable to not having him on the mound.

If the scans come back with bad news, St. Louis won’t just have to worry about making it through the wildcard series. The rest of their playoff hopes could be severely weakened by losing their star closer.

The stress of watching that ending on Friday will have to carry over into the night as fans await news on the closer.