Following a third consecutive rough outing, Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright is heading to the injured list, St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said on Tuesday after a 15-2 loss to the Miami Marlins.
Marmol did not cite a specific injury, saying Wainwright, 41, is dealing with multiple issues, but the pitcher said he is suffering from right shoulder irritation.
“I’ve had some shoulder discomfort for a couple of weeks now,” Wainwright said. “I thought I was going to get over the hump, but I’ve never had shoulder stuff before, so it’s kind of new for me.”
Wainwright (3-4, 7.66 ERA) lasted just 3 1/3 innings on Tuesday, allowing seven hits, two walks and seven runs (four earned). He struck out three.
That performance followed even shorter outings in losses on June 24 against the Chicago Cubs (seven runs on 11 hits in three innings) and on Thursday against the Houston Astros (six runs on six hits in 1 2/3 innings).
“It’s stuff I thought I could get through, and I don’t want to use it as an excuse, so I’m not going to, but the results are not where I need them to be,” Wainwright said. “It’s not fair to the team to keep doing that — three times in a row with no chance to win.
“I don’t want the story to be that every time I pitch. I want to be great, and I’ll take some time and get my body good, get my arm right and get my stuff back.”
Marmol added: “There’s not a whole lot behind him at the moment. This is a guy who’s meant a lot to this organization. We’re going to take a deeper look at this and he’s determined to finish well.”
Wainwright said during the winter that he would retire after this season.
In his 18-year career, Wainwright is 198-121 in 468 games (401 starts) with a 3.46 ERA across 2,619 innings. He has recorded 2,175 strikeouts against 714 walks while spending his entire career with the Cardinals.
–Field Level Media