Cards Fear Wainwright Out For Year With Achilles Injury

The expectation is that Adam Wainwright is done for the season after suffering an Achilles injury last night, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  The Cardinals pitcher has yet to undergo an MRI, however.
 
Wainwright suffered his injury in the fifth inning of Saturday night’s game against the Brewers as he was running out a pop-up.  Wainwright, who has pitched four scoreless innings, was running to first when he came up lame after hurting his left ankle, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.  The veteran left the park in a walking boot and was stunned by the freak injury.
 
“I’ve never had anything down there to compare it to.  I’m thinking what in the heck just hit me. I thought the catcher’s mask must have hit me. Or the bat must have hit me. It was crazy,” said Wainwright. “I wasn’t even going that hard. I just popped it up. I saw that it was in play so I started to run and my foot just shut down on me. It’s in the back of my ankle. Everything right now is all speculation. I’ve not got my hopes up or down.”
 
Wainwright was doubly disappointed because, as he told reporters, he felt the best he had all year heading into Saturday night.  If Wainwright is in fact done for the year, it’ll be the second time in his career that he has suffered a lost season.  The 33-year-old (34 in August) missed the entire 2011 season thanks to Tommy John surgery.
 
Through four starts this season, the three-time All-Star has posted a 1.44 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 1.1 BB/9.  For his career, Wainwright has pitched to a 2.98 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.
 

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Damn that's awful news.

Odds this brings up the "get rid of the pitcher batting" debate again?

Pitchers shouldn't be batting because they suck, not because of this injury. 

Probably, but it shouldn't. He could have injured it fielding. 
 
But I agree, pitchers shouldn't be hitting. I used to be against the DH in the NL but the more I think about it, it's really pointless having them pitch. Although it is fun watching Bartolo Colon get an RBI. 

Requiring a pitcher to bat would be like asking a hitter to pitch. They don't practice that skill, as it's not their job. This is common sense. Fuck tradition. 

That's actually the best argument I've ever heard on the subject. 

And your sentiment on Bartolo Colon batting is correct. Watching him hit is amazing, just as it is to see a position player pitch. It's fun, but only because they're so fucking terrible, it's comical. It should be a rare occurrence that only happens because of extreme curcumstances

Pitchers shouldn't be batting, but I do think colon should be used as a pinch runner regularly.


Easily an 80 base runner

Never thought about it how Dan said it. That's a hell of an argument.

elcheato said:

Requiring a pitcher to bat would be like asking a hitter to pitch. They don't practice that skill, as it's not their job. This is common sense. Fuck tradition. 

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Not really given that pitchers (in the NL) get plenty of at bats every year and take BP.
 
Not to mention I'm sure they definitely all hit in lower levels of baseball. 
 
But everyone else was slurping your post so I'm obviously in the minority.

Their "plenty of at bats" and batting practice (where they mainly put down bunts) during competition at the highest level constitutes as practice? 

 

Should we mandate that every player play in the infield at some point during a game because they all took grounders in practice throughout their baseball life? 

 

The majority are not qualified to be hitters in the MLB, and wouldn't sniff minor league baseball if they were full time hitters. That's the point. Their focus is pitching.  

It definitely constitutes as practice, I don't see why it wouldn't.

Adam Wainwright (ironically enough) had the most plate appearances for a pitcher last year, at 82, and he led all pitchers. You're saying that's enough at-bats against top level pitching, as a top level pitcher yourself who usually just bunts in the cage, to turn yourself into a quality hitter?

 

If your theory was right pitchers wouldn't be universally hitting below .200. Even the pitchers with actual college hitting experience can struggle to hit well consistently, because they don't ever do it. 

When did I say they were quality hitters? My point was that a pitcher can hit way more successfully than a hitter can pitch, so it's not a good comparison at all.