The St. Louis Cardinals took yet another step in the right direction with a 6-2 pounding of the New York Mets at home on Monday night. Carlos Martinez, in what was his first start of the season, went four innings allowing just one unearned run and three punch outs before a parade of relievers took over en route to delivering the Cardinals a victory in a game in which their ace was shelved with elbow issues.
As nice as it is to see Martinez and Co. guide the Cards to a win, I couldn’t stop thinking about how badly Adam Wainwright needs this “tennis elbow” business to be a passing issue. And not just for the Cardinals, or for a pennant race, or so he can start the All-Star Game.
No, Wainwright needs to be healthy for himself, for personal gain, and for the sake of his legacy. Because he deserves it.
He’s been a bridesmaid three times now, finishing third in 2009 (despite receiving the most 1st place votes in the league), and second in 2010 and 2013. The only reason he didn’t win in 2009 was probably because teammate Chris Carpenter established a 2.24 ERA that season and split votes with him, allowing Tim Lincecum to slip in the back door and take it the award. In 2010 when he finished second to Roy Halladay, Wainwright put up the best numbers of his career, winning 21 games to the tune of a 2.42 ERA. Halladay barely inched Waino in the counting stats though, recording 21 wins with a 2.44 ERA in 20 more innings pitched. Halladay was obviously a better story, dominating in his first tour of duty in the National League and leading his team to the best record in the league after languishing with perennial cellar dweller Toronto for twelve seasons, and the writers unanimously voted him the Cy Young Award winner.
Skip ahead two seasons that were occupied by an impromptu Tommy John surgery to 2013, and Wainwright is once again dominant, leading  the National League in wins, games started, innings pitched, batters faced, complete games, and shutouts. Unfortunately, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw puts up video game numbers with a 1.83 ERA to go with 232 strikeouts, leading the league in both categories and claims his second Cy Young Award and third consecutive top-two finish at the age of 25.
As we look at Wainwright currently, he is in a two horse race with Cincinnati Reds ace Johnny Cueto for consideration as the best pitcher in the league, and it’s a toss up at this point as to who has the edge. Wainwright is again leading the league in wins and has a minescule 2.15 ERA. Cueto has been equally as impressive allowing an average of just five hits per nine innings and has put up a 1.85 ERA to this point.
Here’s the bottom line: this may be Wainwright’s last chance to take home the award and solidify his standing as one of the elite pitchers of his generation. Kershaw has missed 5-6 starts and has been good but not great in the time he has pitched. New York Mets ace Matt Harvey, who looks like a guy who can be perennially dominant and started the All-Star game last year at age 24, is shelved for the year recovering from TJ surgery, ditto Miami Marlins phenom Jared Fernandez who was pitching out of his mind before going down for the year in May. As Wainwright hits his mid-thirties you would expect a natural regression in his ability just as the Kershaws’, Fernandez’s and Harvey’s of the world reach their late 20’s and begin to peak and establish themselves as the class of the National League.
If Wainwright misses an extended period of time instead of just the one start we are told it is going to be right now, it could legitimately cost him his last shot at a Cy Young Award. Here’s hoping he can get back at it on Saturday.
