Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Wainwright good in rehab start, but says barbecue better
SPRINGDALE — Adam Wainwright will remember his first trip Arkansas more for the barbecue than the three scoreless innings he pitched during Wednesday’s game at Arvest Ballpark.
Wainwright, on a rehab assignment from the St. Louis Cardinals due to inflammation in his right elbow, threw 43 pitches and allowed two soft infield singles for Springfield during Northwest Arkansas’ 3-2 win. He said the plan for him is to make another rehab appearance in Memphis.
“After that, I don’t know. That’s as far as they’ll give me,” Wainwright said. “Right now, I’m kind of a free agent for the Cardinals and they’re just going to tell me where to go, I guess.
“I don’t want mess up the vibe they have going right now. Make outs and help the team, they’re going to find a spot for you. All I can
do is control what I do here in my rehab starts and see where it goes from there.”
The former World Series champ owns a 147-84 record with a career ERA of 3.30 in 13 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals. Wainwright, 36, said when he pitches in minor league games, he imagines 50,000 fans in attendance as “practice” to maintain his composure. He was pleased with his performance, save for a 3-2 curveball that got away from him and hit Kort Peterson in the second inning.
“I feel pretty good. I feel pretty happy with where things are at,” said Wainwright, whose fastball topped out at 90 mph. “Just trying to improve my command every time out; trying keep a good rhythm to my pitches and let my body flow naturally. I haven’t pitched yet where I just really tried to extend my arm and just throw as hard as I can. Trying to have command of pitches and throw to quadrants in the zone.”
Despite getting drafted in the first round in 2000 and spending five seasons in the minor leagues, Wainwright had never been to Arkansas before Wednesday. He joined four teammates earlier in the day for a memorable trip to a local restaurant, where he recommends the beef brisket.
“Let me tell you something about Arkansas that I do know, I had one of the best barbecue plates I’ve ever had in my life today,” Wainwright said. “I went to Wright’s BBQ (in Johnson) and I tell you, I’m floored by how good that was.”
As for the rest of the game, the Naturals snapped a 2-2 tie when Samir Duenez doubled to lead off the eighth and later scored on a
fielder’s choice.
SHORT HOPS
■ Home plate umpire Jose Matamoros exited the game in the sixth inning after a pitch skipped under the glove of Naturals catcher Nick Dini, hitting Matamoros in the groin area. Matamoros remained on the ground for five minutes before heading to the locker room. The game continued with a two-man umpire crew.
■ The following inning, Dini took a foul ball off his right hand and stayed in the game after getting examined by trainers. Then in the eight, a foul ball to the face mask sent Dini to the ground again. He shook it off, too, and remained in the game.
■ The Naturals, which entered Wednesday 4½ games back of division-leading Tulsa in the standings, won for the 18th time in the past 25 games and are a leaguebest 24-9 since July 19.
On Deck: The Naturals continue their four-game home series against Springfield at 7:05 p.m. Northwest Arkansas will send right-hander Scott Blewitt (8-6, 5.11) to the mound while the Cardinals will counter with left-hander Evan Kruczynski (2-1, 0.43).
Today’s Promotion: “Thirsty Thursday” features beer and soft drink specials as well as deals on items such as peanuts and mozzarella sticks. In addition, the first 500 fans will receive a Naturals Jersey Cooler.
On The Air: KQSM-FM 92.1 On The Web: www.nwanaturals.