MLB Player News

An MRI on the injured shoulder of Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha came back clean, MLB.com reports.

Wacha has been dealing with a stress reaction in his right shoulder, but he is expected to follow his normal offseason program. "Even the doctors were a little surprised on how that looked," general manager John Mozeliak said.

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright had his elbow examined following the team's elimination, and it checked out "optimistically," general manager John Mozeliak told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Wainwright "should have a normal offseason," Mozeliak added.

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright managed to go seven strong innings Thursday against the Giants.

With his team down 3-1, Wainwright did what he could to make sure the Cardinals remained competitive. He allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings. Wainwright struck out seven and walked two during the outing. He only made one mistake, which led to both runs. In the third inning, Wainwright allowed Joe Panik to belt a two-run homer to right. The Cardinals would battle back the next inning, and Wainwright would shut down the Giants over the next four innings. San Francisco would mount a comeback, ruining Wainwright's strong start and knocked the Cardinals out of the playoffs. 

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny indicated Sunday that pitcher Michael Wacha is set to be used in an extra-innings role if needed, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

"Michael gives us definitely some flexibility, and we can use him in a different role, but right now that’s pretty valuable to us knowing that we can be quick (to other relievers), like we were," Matheny said. "It leaves a huge need in case we come back and tie the game."

Wacha missed more than two months during the regular season due to a stress reaction in his right shoulder. He didn't warm up while Game 1 starter Adam Wainwright struggled in the middle innings, and he didn't begin to warm up during the team's Game 2 win until the game appeared it would head into extra innings before Kolten Wong smacked a walkoff home run. Wacha could end up not logging any innings this postseason if the team remains committed to saving him for a potential extra-innings scenario.

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright said his elbow didn't bother him during Saturday's start against the Giants, according to MLB.com.

Wainwright said his struggles stemmed from mechanical issues related to his release point. Wainwright allowed three runs, two earned, over 4 2/3 innings during the outing. His elbow has been a big point of concern for the Cardinals over the past couple weeks. 

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright had an uneven start Saturday against the Giants.

Wainwright allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked three during the outing. Wainwright found himself in trouble fairly early. After loading the bases to start the second inning, Wainwright allowed a run to score on a Travis Ishikawa single. Another run would score during the frame, but it was due to an error. Wainwright would give up an additional run in the next frame. Brandon Belt would knock in a run on a sac fly during the third inning. Wainwright had control issues in his final inning, walking two batters before he was pulled from the game. He was charged with the loss. 

Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright, who is set to start the National League Championship Series opener Saturday night against San Francisco, has dismissed concerns about his right elbow.

Wainwright skipped a start in June with a sore elbow. He also dealt with what was described as a "dead arm" period in August. He was clobbered for six runs on 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings in his lone NL Division Series outing. That matched his shortest stint of the season. He even admitted elbow discomfort in that performance, but he has expressed no worries.

"I can be very honest about this because I've been through it," he told MLB.com. "When I took a game off [in June], I aggravated my elbow, and it's the backside of my elbow. So the elbow-fearing world can know it's not my ligament. ... And after that, it goes on the mend and gets better and better progressively.

"The other day, I aggravated that same spot on the backside of my elbow, and now I'm on the mend, and I can feel something. I'm very confident about it because I felt that before, the same exact thing. I was able to recover very well from it. I have no doubts going into [Game 1]."

Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright said his elbow issue is "overblown" heading into the NLCS, according to ESPN.

There's been some doubt concerning Wainwright's health in the postseason. He attempted to push those worries aside Friday. "It's fine…the problem I have is being way overblown. I'll be fine to pitch like I always do," he said. Wainwright will start Game 1 against the Giants. 

The Cardinals announced starting pitcher Adam Wainwright will start in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Giants. He will be followed by Lance Lynn, John Lackey and Shelby Miller, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Cardinals coach Mike Matheny said Wainwright is perfectly fine heading into the NLCS. There was concern Lynn might have had to start the NLCS opener, if Wainwright was unavailable due to soreness or stiffness.

The Phillies have released pitcher Sean O'Sullivan. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster earlier in the week after posting a 4.30 ERA and 94:50 K:BB ratio in 148 2/3 innings with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.