St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez saw his Friday start against the Milwaukee Brewers cut short, and afterward, it was revealed he suffered a shoulder strain that will end his season.
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Martinez's Season Over After Leaving Start vs. Brewers
Saturday, Sept. 26
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak confirmed the decision to end Martinez's season Saturday, per the team. He added that Martinez would not need surgery but said shutting the pitcher down was the "right decision," according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The news comes after Martinez exited Friday night after just seven pitches against the Brewers. Afterward, the pitcher revealed how long he had been dealing with shoulder issues, per Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com:
Martinez, using teammate Jon Jay as a translator, said afterward that shoulder tightness first became an issue in his Sunday start against the Cubs. Martinez pitched 6 2/3 innings in a win that day and did not inform the medical staff of any discomfort.
"I didn't say anything because I thought it was normal," Martinez said. "I just wanted to pitch through it."
How Martinez's Absence Impacts Cardinals
This is a worrisome injury for the Cardinals because Martinez underwent a breakout season in 2015. While he turned in a disappointing 5.08 ERA in 2013 and 4.03 ERA in 2014, he turned the corner this year and became one of the best pitchers in the National League.
His ability to pick up the Cardinals after a loss is one reason they have stayed atop the National League Central for the majority of the season. In August, Craig Edwards of FanGraphs highlighted just how effective Martinez was when his team needed him most:
This is also a devastating blow for St. Louis because the team has been without ace Adam Wainwright for most of the season, and while Wainwright is trying to return to the team in a bullpen role, Martinez has been instrumental in picking up the slack in his absence.
Fortunately for Cardinals fans, they still have Michael Wacha and Lance Lynn, two of the best pitchers in the league, and John Lackey as a veteran presence who brings plenty of postseason experience for the stretch run.
Teams often shorten their rotation come playoff time, and St. Louis still has a daunting top three in Wacha, Lynn and Lackey.
St. Louis must also rely on its offense (which has battled injuries of its own all season to Matt Holliday, Matt Adams and others), but the pitching has been the team’s backbone.
The Cardinals are well equipped to deal with injuries and have proved more than capable of doing so this season, but Martinez was poised to be a big part of helping the team reach its World Series aspirations.
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