On a day the St. Louis Cardinals learned they would be without Carlos Martinez for the rest of the season they received good news about one of their other pitchers as Adam Wainwright threw a second simulated game.
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“Much better–it felt like me out there today, so that was incredibly uplifting,” stated Wainwright afterwards. “My leg feels great. My arm was solid, rebounded great. Nice to be out there facing big league hitters.”
Wainwright threw 27 pitches to six hitters, which included one hit, four strikeouts, and no walks by the right-hander’s account. He was also able to test out his defensive breaks off the mound.
“The tests we’re doing, the drills we’re doing, the agility work and all that stuff work with Pete Prinzi is so much harder than covering first a couple of times,” said Wainwright. “They’ve tested me to the max this last week everyday. Covering first now is no big deal at all.”
With improved location, crispness on the pitches and their finish at the plate to go with the defensive ability, there are no further boxes the Cardinals manager needs to see to be convinced.
“What we saw baseball wise out here was very good,” commented Mike Matheny. “It’s just a matter of getting medical clearance.”
Which would mean the next step is pitching in an actual game?
“I would hope, but I don’t know,” answered Wainwright. “We’ll have to wait and see what the medical staff says–they’ve got my best interests in mind but I’m very, very close.”
photo credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
