Let's recap:
1) Chris Carpenter goes down before the season starts to ongoing nerve damage that we and he thought was fixed with surgery last season. He's placed on the 60 day DL and is rehabbing for a return sometime in 2013… just not sure when exactly.
2) Jason Motte doesn't pitch an inning in 2013 after marking over 40 saves in 2012. He's recommended to rest his arm and have it looked at in a month. Month comes and goes, he still needs surgery and the Cardinals pushed back his recovery by 5-6 weeks.
3) Jake Westbrook is put on the 15-day DL. We're told that he'll miss 2 starts and this is a precaution. He's now going to miss at least 2 more starts because the original diagnosis was wrong.
4) Jamie Garcia is going to be shut down for the season to have shoulder surgery. This is the same shoulder that caused him to miss time in 2012, but rest was prescribed.
Four very important pitchers to the St. Louis Cardinals. 4 problem laden returns. And this is just since spring training started this season.
The Cardinals are earning a reputation as a place where often the worst case scenario becomes the norm. Now maybe they've known this information all along and are playing coy. Candidly, I hope this is the case. Because to have the fans predict with greater accuracy the outcome of pitching injuries than the paid medical staff is a bit alarming.
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