Cardinals ace Wainwright likely lost for season with Achilles injury

St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright, placed on the 15-day disabled list after he injured his Achilles and ankle stumbling out of the batter’s box Saturday night, is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Fox Sports first reported Sunday that Wainwright is likely done for the year. An ESPN source later confirmed the report.

Wainwright traveled back to St. Louis with the team after Sunday’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers and will have an MRI taken of his ankle today.

The Cardinals placed the right-hander on the disabled list Sunday with what is being called a low left ankle and left Achilles injury.

Wainwright suffered the injury during an at-bat in the top of the fifth inning of Saturday night’s win over the Brewers. He hit a pop-up to Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Adam Lind and tripped

NOTES while running toward first, appearing to roll his ankle as he left the batter’s box.

“My foot just shut down on me,” said Wainwright, who was wearing a protective boot on his left foot that he expects won’t come off until seeing the team physician today. “I thought I got hit by something.”

Wainwright is 2-1 with a 1.44 ERA in 25 innings this season.

An Achilles injury could require months of rehab and likely cost Wainwright the season, but he was not yet ready to assume the worst.

“What I’ve been told is ‘don’t even think anything until the doctor tells you what it is,’” Wainwright said. “I’ve not gotten my hopes up or down. I’m just going to try to be a positive influence here today and tomorrow and see what happens. ... Everything right now is just speculation.”

Wainwright said he did not feel a popping sensation at the time of injury.

“I thought I got hit by something,” he said. “If you look at the replay, I kind of get out of the box and I look back thinking, ‘Gosh, the catcher’s mask must have hit me. The bat must have hit me or something.”

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said the clubhouse was quiet after the game.

“It’s pretty somber right now just because I don’t know of a more respected guy on the team, but also this stuff happens,” Matheny said. “You lose guys. We went into this (season) realizing that that’s a high probability that we’d have somebody go down at some point and have to have somebody step up. That’s part of why we need some depth in the organization and have other guys ready to go.

“But right now, we’re not going to get too far ahead until we see things for sure on Monday. But (it’s) definitely not a good thing.”

■ DODGERS — Los Angeles placed right fielder Yasiel Puig and relief pitcher Joel Peralta on the 15-day disabled list.

Puig missed five of six games last week because of a mild strain of his left hamstring.

Peralta was also placed on the DL for what was being termed a “dead arm.” Peralta did not report any pain, but said he had no strength in his shoulder.

The Dodgers called up two right-handed pitchers: Scott Baker and Carlos Frias.

■ NATIONALS — Washington righthander Max Scherzer may miss his next start because of a sprained right thumb he injured while batting in Thursday’s game.

Scherzer missed a scheduled bullpen session on Saturday, and felt pain in his thumb in a shortened throwing session Sunday.

He is scheduled to start Tuesday, but now it appears doubtful he will be able to pitch that day.

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