Lots to cover today… let's do some quick hits:
1) This weekend was poised to be one of the most dominant sweeps in St. Louis Cardinals history (more on that in a minute), but turned into the second most gruesome day of the season (Opening Day fiasco being #1).
Jamie Garcia didn't bear down when he needed and got tagged for 5 runs. Carlos Martinez had his first real shaky outing, giving up 3 and looking like a prospect, not a MLB ready star. And the offense went limp. Again.
2) But the worst news came before the game started when Jake Westbrook was placed on the 15-day DL with "elbow soreness".
Jake Westbrook is not stranger to surgery. Having procedures done on his right hip, left shoulder and, of course, his right elbow. The latter causing him to miss most of the 2008 season.
The Cardinals are claiming that this is a precautionary measure and that he's expected to skip his next 2 starts.
Uh huh.
We've heard this before from the Cardinals medical staff. It's almost the kiss of death.
Jake has been lights out this season, posting a 1.67 ERA that begets his 2-1 record. So at the very least, this is a two week setback. At the worst, a harbinger of bad news for the veteran pitcher. Come the back half of the season, we're going to need Westbrook and Wainwright to anchor this staff.
3) Wainwright looks up to the task, if Saturday is any indication.
He took a no hitter into the 8th inning before surrendering a single with 1 out. He made Colorado look silly at the plate. and had every single pitch working to perfection.
When Wainwright is on like that, he's the best pitcher in MLB, able to get outs in every imaginable way and intimidating hitters into swinging at pitches they don't want to.
Would have been something we'd probably still be talking about.
4) But Shelby Miller, by at least one account, pitched the best game a Cardinal pitcher ever has.
He gave up a broken bat single to lead off the game Friday night. Then pitched a perfect game with no walks and 13 strike outs. He showed us his ceiling. And judging by the reaction… his rocky year in the minors during 2012 changed many perceptions about what this kid can become.
Turns out he's got superstar potential.
And he reminded us of that emphatically. He's even turning his starts into must watch baseball and building confidence along the way. Think about the fact that between Miller and Wainwright, the Cardinals set down 50 Rockies in a row without a hit.
Not one hit. Fifty batters. In the majors.
Hate that Jamie and Co. had to ruin Mother's Day, because FRI and SAT had everyone's pants getting a bit tighter.
6) John Gast's Wikipedia page has been updated, so he's ready for his first MLB start this week against the incoming Pond Scum of New York. Let's see what he's got.
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