Wacha takes the hill to stop Cardinals' brief slide since Waino went down
As if the bad news regarding Adam Wainwright's injury wasn't enough for St. Louis, the club still hasn't won since losing its ace.
Michael Wacha appears capable of ending the Cardinals' brief slump and possibly anchoring the rotation with Wainwright sidelined.
He looks to cap an impressive first month Tuesday night against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.
The Cardinals (12-6) announced Monday that Wainwright would undergo surgery for a torn left Achilles tendon and miss the entire season. He was injured Saturday against Milwaukee.
Wainwright's absence leaves a large void considering his 94 wins since 2009 are tied for the third most in baseball. His teammates, though, weren't necessarily deterred as they seek a third straight division title.
"I feel like we're very capable, and a very fortunate group to have a pitching staff that can kind of slide in and do their thing," said right fielder Jason Heyward. "I think we're still going to have a lot of fun and do a lot of good things."
St. Louis is in danger of losing its third straight overall after it had a five-game home winning streak snapped in Monday's 4-1 loss. Wacha (3-0, 1.33 ERA) will try to get the Cardinals on track while becoming the franchise's first pitcher 23 years old or younger to win each of his first four starts to a season since Fred Frankhouse opened 5-0 in 1927.
While Wacha's strikeouts are down with 12 in 20 1/3 innings, he also owns a 55.7 groundball percentage, up from a 43.3 mark over his first two seasons.
"He's just becoming a more versatile pitcher and that makes him less predictable," manager Mike Matheny told MLB's official website.
Facing Johnny Cueto and Max Scherzer in his first three outings brought out the best in Wacha, who has given up three runs in 20 1/3 innings. Tuesday's matchup may have less pressure in that regard with Severino Gonzalez making his major league debut for Philadelphia.
"I think he's doing a nice job of not being distracted by who he's facing," Matheny said.
Gonzalez is 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA through three starts for Triple A Lehigh Valley. He tossed three scoreless innings versus Atlanta in his lone spring training appearance.
"I love Severino," assistant general manager Benny Looper told MLB's official website. "He's got a real good feel for the baseball -- where it's going with all of his pitches. He can't get by with mistakes -- he's not a power guy -- but he can pitch."
Philadelphia (8-12) has been baseball's lowest-scoring team with 2.7 runs per game, though it has nine runs in the last two after scoring two or fewer in four straight. Carlos Ruiz entered Monday's contest batting .196 but was 4 for 4 and has hit safely in three straight games.
St. Louis got Yadier Molina back after a two-game absence due to a sore right knee, but he was 0 for 4 and the Cardinals struck out 13 times. They're 4 for 32 (.125) with runners in scoring position over the last four games.
Heyward was limited to bench duty due to a strained left groin and struck out as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning. He's expected to be back in the lineup Tuesday.
