Skip Schumaker Out for NLCS

Skip Schumaker will not join be joining his St. Louis Cardinal teammates on the field in their National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.  Hampered by a strained left oblique muscle, Schumaker was left off of the Cardinals NLCS roster.

Schumaker sustained the injury during Friday’s game five victory in Philadelphia, and was ultimately forced to exit the contest in the bottom of the 3^rd frame.  His condition didn’t improve overnight, as Schumaker was unable to participate in on-field activities Saturday.  This led to the Cardinals decision of keeping Schumaker off their second round roster.

While Schumaker was more of a do-it-all kind of player during the season, filling in defensively and not producing much with the bat, the 31-year-old was one of St. Louis’s prime offensive performers in their first round playoff series.  Appearing in all five games, Schumaker finished with an OPS of 1.400 and collected the lone RBI in the Cardinals game five victory Friday night.

Schumaker and pitcher Jake Westbrook were the only players that weren’t carried over onto St. Louis’s NLCS roster.  While Schumaker’s injury is to blame for his absence, Westbrook was passed over for another pitcher.  To replace the two players, the Cardinals added Lance Lynn and Kyle McClellan to their second round playoff roster.

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