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Wainwright making up for lost time
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Adam Wainwright says he doesn’t think about where he would fit into the National League Cy Young race had he not missed a month and a half due to a sprained right middle finger.
But when the St. Louis right hander has starts like he did Tuesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, it’s hard to argue that Wainwright wouldn’t be in the discussion along with Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Webb and San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum.
“I don’t worry about it. I mean, I know there’s a guy with 19 or 20 wins over on the other side there (Webb) that throws pretty tough,” Wainwright said. “That’s not a problem; it’s just something for next year or the year after.”
Since his return from the disabled list on Aug. 22, Wainwright has gone 2-1 and has only given up four earned runs. On Tuesday night he pitched 5 1/3 innings, struck out seven, allowed three hits, walked two and gave up just one run.
“Everything felt good, my command was fine. I didn’t feel much different from last game, but I feel my breaking stuff might’ve been a little better today,” Wainwright said.
With the strong start, Wainwright improved to 8-3 with an ERA of 2.97 in 16 starts.
Outings like that make Cardinals manager Tony La Russa glad to have Wainwright back for the stretch run.
“It’s kind of hard to believe we stayed in it without him,” La Russa said. “He was pitching so well, a candidate for the All Star team, and we missed him for a long time. He’s been pitching pretty sharp since he came back. We knew what we were missing. It’s a shame.”
Being back and helping the Cardinals stay in the NL wild card race is what excites Wainwright the most.
“I’m excited, I wish I could’ve been here the whole time,” Wainwright said. “You never know, it could be the biggest blessing in disguise. We’re not out of it. Maybe I’m the fresh arm we need to get into the playoffs.”
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