Shaun Marcum empathises with St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright
Words of sympathy have come pouring in for St Louis Cardinals ace pitcher Adam Wainwright who is heading for a Tommy John surgery (elbow reconstruction).
Wainwright was preparing for the new season in Jupiter, Florida when he sustained the injury. Reports say he has torn his ulnar collateral ligament and is most likely to miss the entire 2011 season. Wainwright had a tear in the same ligament in 2004.
Milwaukee Brewers’ Shaun Marcum empathises with Wainwright. The Brewers’ new pitcher faced a similar situation during his days with the Tampa Bay Rays. The player suffered a prolonged absence from the Major Leagues in 2009, and joined the first squad roster
again in 2010. Marcum admits that the situation can grow to be frustrating.
“It's not a fun process if it goes to Tommy John,” Marcum said. “You'd be out of baseball for 12-18 months, and it's a long road. The good thing is that it's an elbow, and the success rate is pretty high on those, way better than shoulders. But you never
wish anyone to go through that.”
The Brewers are involved in the race for the National League Central crown and even though the club is a rival to the St. Louis Cardinals, there is sympathy for Wainwright, who collected 20 wins last season. Marcum admits that the Cards will be less powerful
if the 29 year old ace doesn’t come back to the game this year.
“You never wish anyone to get hurt just to help yourself,” Marcum said. “You want to go out as a competitor and beat the best. I think we'd like to see him in their rotation, but part of this business is that people get hurt. I'm sure [the Cardinals] will
find a way to cover it, and we wish Adam the best for his recovery.”
Adam Wainwright is heading to St. Louis for an MRI scan and is hoping to undergo a successful surgery. His injury is a big blow for St. Louis that is also missing utility infielder Nick Punto because of a sports hernia.
Wainwright is likely to be replaced by Lance Lynn, P. J. Walters, Ian Snell or reliever Kyle McClellan.
Tags: