Youthful arms power Cardinals
Wacha, Martinez fill void created by Wainwright injury
Matt Carpenter didn’t have to think very long before answering the question.
The St. Louis Cardinals third baseman was asked what young right-handers Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez — who both have 10-3 records — have meant to his team this season.
“Everything,” Carpenter said. “We wouldn’t be where we are without them.”
The Cardinals suffered what seemed like a potentially devastating blow April 25 when ace right-hander Adam Wainwright tore his Achilles tendon. Wainwright won 19 games in 2013 and 20 in 2014 and was the undisputed leader of the Cardinals staff.
Yet Wacha and Martinez have stepped up and had seasons worthy enough to be selected to the All-Star Game. Wacha, 24, has a 2.93 ERA and 1.01 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) in 17 starts and 23-year-old Martinez has a 2.52 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 18 games, including 17 starts.
They are big reasons why the Cardinals (56-33) have the best record in the major leagues.
Both are exceptionally talented pitchers, but both had questions coming into the season.
Wacha missed 2½ months last season after suffering a stress reaction in the scapula of his right shoulder in mid-June before returning to pitch in September and the postseason. Martinez made seven starts among his 57 appearances last season, pitching 891⁄3 innings, and there were inevitable questions about his stamina in transitioning back to a starting role.
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Brandon McCarthy has battled the same condition Wacha has encountered, which is rare to baseball, and was sidelined for parts of the 2010 and 2011 seasons by the injury while with the Oakland Athletics.
Wacha acknowledges the rarity of it caused angst when he was diagnosed last season.
“There wasn’t anybody who had the injury who you could talk to and find out exactly how to rehab it,” Wacha says. “I didn’t know what to expect. Nobody was sure what was going to happen.”
Athletes in other sports had rehabbed the same injury, though, and the Cardinals training staff came up with a rehab plan for Wacha.
“Our training staff did a very good job of globally researching the injury,” general manager John Mozeliak says. “Initially, we didn’t know how long Michael would be out or how his career would be affected, but our (trainers) did a great job.”
The Cardinals used the 19th overall pick to select Wacha in the first round of the 2012 draft from Texas A&M, and he made an impact as a rookie the following year by going 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA in 15 games, including nine starts, in the regular season, then having an outstanding postseason in which he went 4-1 with a 2.64 ERA in five starts.
Wacha took a perfect game into the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2013 NL Division Series, beat Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw twice in the NL Championship Series and split two starts against the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, which the Cardinals lost in six games.
Wacha pitched well when healthy last season, going 5-6 with a 3.20 ERA in 19 starts. But, moved to the bullpen in the playoffs, he gave up the NLCS-winning home run to the San Francisco Giants’ Travis Ishikawa in Game 5.
While Wacha’s season ended on a sour note, the Cardinals were happy to see him get back on the mound.
“I think it gave him peace of mind that he was healthy again,” manager Mike Matheny says.
Indeed, Wacha says he was able to do his normal offseason routine and come to spring training concerned only with getting ready for the season.
“It meant a lot to come back and pitch last season,” Wacha says. “It would have been a tough winter if I would’ve had to be constantly wondering if I was going to be ready for spring training and how I was going to feel.”
Other than the usual aches and pains that come from pitching in the major leagues, Wacha has felt fine all season.
“Throwing a baseball overhand is an unnatural motion, so there’s always a chance you’re going to get hurt when you’re a pitcher,” Wacha says. “I feel great, though. It’s been really good to come back this season and pitch the way I’m capable of pitching and being able to go out there every fifth (day) and help the team win. As a pitcher, you want your teammates to know they can rely on you.”
The Cardinals have relied on Wacha and Martinez all season, but their age and workload lead to questions about how they will perform in the second half.
Both have pitched 1071⁄3 innings this season.
Wacha’s professional season high was 1492⁄3 innings in 2013, and he logged 1091⁄3 innings last season. Martinez’s career high in six professionals seasons is 108 innings in 2013.
The Cardinals will monitor the workloads of both pitchers during the season’s second half. However, they don’t have a certain innings limit for either and will use more art than science in determining how much they pitch.
“Both of them look strong right now because they are getting outs and being efficient with their pitches,” Matheny says. “I don’t have any concern at this point about either.”
Right-hander John Lackey has been a workhorse, pitching a team-high 1171⁄3 innings and going 7-5 with a 2.99 ERA in 18 starts. He is 36 and has pitched 200 innings once since 2008.
Lackey said being traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Cardinals last July energized him.
“It’s been something different, coming over to the National League after spending all those years in the American League,” the 13-year veteran says. “Sometimes you need a change of pace.”
Right-hander Lance Lynn, 28, was on the disabled list in June with a strained forearm but says he is at full health. He has a 6-5 record with a 2.90 ERA in 16 starts over 961⁄3 innings. He surpassed the 200-inning barrier in each of the past two seasons.
With Wacha and Martinez on pace for close to 200 innings, the Cardinals are looking to add a veteran starter before the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline.
Martinez, though, has plenty of youthful exuberance, and he wants no part of having time off.
“I’ve always wanted to be a starting pitcher in the big leagues,” he says. “I love getting this opportunity. I want to be out there all the way to the end of the season.”