Adam Wainwright

Pitchers announcing their candidacy for the Home Run Derby is the latest trend in Major League Baseball, and St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright officially threw his hat in the ring Tuesday.

And now for a question that's simultaneously the last thing the St. Louis Cardinals want to ask, and also the first thing they currently can't ignore:

What if Adam Wainwright isn't Adam Wainwright anymore?

With apologies to Mike Leake, the St. Louis Cardinals didn't get an ace this winter. But they might be getting an ace back, which could be equally huge.

We're talking about Adam Wainwright, one of the best pitchers in baseball when he's right.

With the good news came the bad news.

The St. Louis Cardinals received a boost to their playoff pitching picture on Monday, but the leaders in the National League Central also took what could end up being a significant hit to their lineup and defense.

As the St. Louis Cardinals finalize their run toward the playoffs, they will soon learn whether starting pitcher Adam Wainwright will be able to take the mound again this season.

Continue for updates.

Wainwright to Learn 2015 Fate Monday

Thursday, Sept. 17

When Adam Wainwright tore his Achilles tendon in April, the St. Louis Cardinals were left without their true ace—let alone one of baseball’s top pitchers—for most of the season.

Each week of baseball's regular season brings any number of fascinating news, noteworthy developments and/or curious behavior.

The week that is about to conclude, Week 5, has been no different—and there's still part of the weekend left for something else to happen.

In the meantime, here are a handful of the biggest takeaways from the goings-on of the past seven days.

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Adam Wainwright is starting 2015 the same way he ended last year: battling an injury. This time, the St. Louis Cardinals ace is reportedly dealing with an abdominal issue.     

Continue for updates.

It's that time of the year, folks.

No, not the holidays. I'm talking about the fantasy football playoffs, where a single move can make the difference between winning and losing.

Adam Wainwright knows this all too well.

LOS ANGELES — To think you know baseball is to be a stupid, stupid fool. 

No one understands this game, or why things happen how they happen, particularly when everyone expects exactly the opposite. That is why you watch in October. That is why jaws can routinely be picked up off the floor with a snow shovel in the autumn.

It is why the sport is beautiful, because the seemingly impossible can always trump perfectly sound reason.