Cardinals’ Pitching Returning to Form as Playoffs Near
The St. Louis Cardinals were a pitching dominant, and at times, offensively challenged club early on during the 2014 season. As the hitting has progressed, the pitching has cooled, but with the expansion of rosters, the Cardinals’ rotation and bullpen have regained the form that kept the club in contention during the early part of the season.
The number one priority for the Cardinals, of course, is their number one, Adam Wainwright. Wainwright admittedly went through a dead arm phase in which his velocity, and subsequently his K/9, dropped dramatically compared to what it had been during his earlier success.
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Wainwright has responded well after the club decided not to rest himDespite admitting to the dead arm, Manager Mike Matheny chose not to rest Wainwright. Since announcing the decision, Wainwright has returned to his dominant form, winning his last three starts and giving up just six earned in 23 innings. The key seems to be Wainwright’s accuracy, as he’s walked just two batters during that time.
Wainwright will have two more starts and a chance to raise his win total to 20 on the season. If it weren’t for complete dominance by Clayton Kershaw this season, Wainwright would be in contention for the Cy Young. Instead, Wainwright will again be a bridesmaid, but will have an opportunity to anchor the Cardinals’ staff during the postseason.
Lance Lynn hasn’t had to recover from a dead arm period this season. Lynn has been consistent and at times dominant. Lynn hasn’t given up more than three earned runs since late June and has worked his way to an impressive 15-9 record and a 2.73 ERA. Lynn will be the second starter if the Cardinals are able to make the playoffs and may be able to eclipse the 200 inning mark this season if he’s able to end the season with two impressive starts.
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The third spot in the rotation is a three man race. John Lackey was traded for to bolster the playoff rotation, but has struggled since coming to St. Louis. Lackey, like Wainwright, has struggled with a dead arm, and had his start skipped the last time through the rotation.
Lackey is 2-2 with a 5.05 ERA since coming to St. Louis and has had an obvious problem with the strike zone in his eight starts with the Cardinals. Lackey will need to improve immensely to stay in the hunt for the Cardinals’ playoff rotation, but if he is able to overcome his dead arm stage, he’ll give the Cardinals experience and innings during the playoffs.
Shelby Miller has also thrown his name into the mix thanks to success since being given time off to rest. Miller owns an impressive 1.64 ERA in his last five games, going 2-0.
Despite the stellar ERA, Miller’s K rate and BB rate haven’t been nearly as good. Miller has given up seven walks in 33 innings, which is nothing to sneeze at, but has struck out only 20 batters during that time. The numbers are still good and Miller is working his way into seeing more action in the postseason than he did last year.
The final piece of the puzzle, of course, is Michael Wacha. Wacha had his last start taken by Marco Gonzales, but was able to throw a bullpen in between his starts. The skipped start is a concern, as Wacha was the star of the Cardinals’ postseason a year ago, but has been unable to build up his pitch count since returning from the DL.
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If the Cardinals are able to make the playoffs, their rotational depth may give them an advantage against most teams. It’ll be interesting to see what the next step for Michael Wacha is and what he’ll be able to add to the Cardinals’ postseason roster, but if he’s not ready, look for Shelby Miller to contribute, something we didn’t see during last postseason.