Wacha surrendered six runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two in one inning of relief Wednesday in the Cardinals' 11-4 loss to the Phillies.
Banished to the bullpen after posting a 5.59 ERA and 1.69 WHIP through his first nine starts, Wacha surrendered his rotation spot to Genesis Cabrera, who was called up from Triple-A Memphis to make the start Wednesday. Cabrera labored through 3.2 innings and allowed five runs (three earned), but Wacha was even worse following him out of the bullpen. Wacha displayed dreadful control and command in the outing, pumping in only 19 of 40 pitches for strikes while getting scalded for three home runs and a double. Even if Cabrera is ultimately denied a second start, expect the Cardinals to try their luck with other rotation options first before giving Wacha another look.