St. Louis Cardinals’ Season Dependent on Health of Adam Wainwright
Sep 12, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (50) throws the ball against the Colorado Rockies during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
When the St. Louis Cardinals learned star pitcher Adam Wainwright was suffering from abdominal pain before spring training games even began, they nervously gulped. When it was revealed that he may not be ready for opening day, the worrisome swallow turned into a nervous sweat.
Worst case scenario for the Cardinals is Wainwright misses the entire season. It’s unlikely at this point, but not something to rule out. They know this possibility all too well as the 2011 season was absent of Wainwright. After experiencing elbow game during spring training in February, Wainwright learned he would require Tommy John Surgery. A week later the surgery was a success and the long road to recovery began.
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Fortunately, the Cardinals had no problem getting over the loss of Wainwright in 2011. They won the Wild Card mainly thanks to a very good offense with some help from a steady starting rotation that had 14-8 Kyle Lohse leading the starters in wins and a 3.39 ERA. The team of course then went on to win the World Series over the Texas Rangers, minus one of their best players.
Prior to his injury in 2011, Wainwright was coming off a third place finish in the Cy Young voting in 2009 and a second place finish in 2010. He had similar experiences in 2013 and 2014 finishing second and third in the voting respectively.
If it were not for Clayton Kershaw, Wainwright would be the National League’s best pitcher. His impact on the Cardinals in 2015 will completely dictate where they go. Losing him for an extended period of time puts the whole Cardinals team at a loss.
The 2015 Cardinals’ roster is far different from the one they had in 2011 when they were able to get by without their ace. Not only is the starting rotation in more disarray without Wainwright, the offensive production is nowhere near the level it was then.
No longer do they have anyone on the level of Albert Pujols or Lance Berkman, who each topped 30 home runs and knocked in 100 runs. Matt Holliday is still in left field, however he’s trending downward. In 2014, Holliday had a career low .272 batting average and hit only 20 home runs in 667 plate appearances — a negative contrast from the 22 he hit in 516 plate appearances during the 2011 season.
More than ever, the Cardinals are relying on Adam Wainwright to pitch like his usual dominant self. A setback to this injury and suddenly for the first time in a long while, St. Louis may not be the toast of the NL Central this summer.