Wainwright ponders what-ifs with Cards poised to make changes

ST. LOUIS -- Time, and for that matter, change, stop for no one, as retiring Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright can attest. Those thoughts dawned on him repeatedly on Saturday when facing the division-rival Cubs for the last time and while contemplating the potential departures of fellow Cards pitchers Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery in the coming days.

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Wainwright’s life with the Cardinals is changing almost daily now, and one of the biggest changes for one of the most successful hurlers in franchise history is pitching in games when a playoff berth isn’t on the line. What if, Wainwright pondered, he had been healthy all season? What if fellow starters Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz had not started slowly? What if Flaherty and Montgomery -- pending free agents expected to be traded soon -- had found consistency earlier in the season? Then, Wainwright likely wouldn’t have been feeling as sad as he was after the Cardinals' third straight loss -- this time a 5-1 defeat to Chicago.

“I’m just super bummed about it and disappointed,” Wainwright said. “If I come in healthy to start the year and really rocking, and our other pitchers come out really rocking, we’ve got a good chance to be in first place in this division, but unfortunately, we just let our fan base down. When that happens, we let each other down. And when that happens, somebody gets fired -- whether it’s players or coaches.

“It’s a sad thing, and I’ve never really gone through it, honestly, so I don’t know how I’ll handle it. I know I don’t like it. I don’t like looking over at Jack, [Montgomery] and [Jordan] Hicks and all these guys who are such great competitors and championship-caliber players and not winning with them. I don’t like that.”

What Wainwright also doesn’t like is facing Chicago outfielder Ian Happ, who hit an 84.1 mph cutter 410 feet for a two-run home run that gave the suddenly surging Cubs a lead they would not surrender en route to their eighth straight victory -- six of which have come against the Cards. Remarkably, it was Happ’s seventh career home run against Wainwright and third of this season.

Happ’s success against Wainwright is among the best in baseball between an active hitter and pitcher. Only Carlos Santana against Justin Verlander (nine home runs) and Bryce Harper against Julio Teheran (nine) have gone deep off one pitcher more than Happ has against Wainwright. Rafael Devers (versus Gerrit Cole), Teoscar Hernandez (versus Ryan Yarbrough) and Anthony Rizzo (versus Wily Peralta) also have seven home runs against an active pitcher.

Said Wainwright: “My guy over there, Happ, he’s had my number the last couple of years. That’s all you can say and tip your hat. He’s gotten me.”

Happ’s homer and another two-run blast by Yan Gomes prevented Wainwright from earning career win No. 199. On Saturday, in his second start following a three-week stint on the injured list, Wainwright allowed seven hits and four earned runs over six innings, and he was most happy about getting nine ground-ball outs and three double-play balls.

“I’m not winded at all at the end, which is a new thing for me this year, honestly,” Wainwright admitted. “Having to work so hard to try and generate something going toward home, before that I was gassed after four or five innings. It was nice to cover first, sprint around and pitch six innings and feel like I’m supposed to feel. I’m excited about how I’ve been able to build.”

Wainwright has been building a relationship with Flaherty since the 6-foot-4 right-hander was drafted in 2014 and debuted with the Cards in 2017. Their friendship is one most would find uncommon -- Wainwright a 41-year-old and a Georgia native and Flaherty a 27-year-old from Southern California. Wainwright beams with pride over how Flaherty has grown and matured -- both as a pitcher and person while thriving in St. Louis.

However, with the Cardinals out of the chase for a playoff berth, Flaherty could be dealt before Tuesday’s 5 p.m. CT Trade Deadline. Like he is about the Cardinals' last-place spot in the NL Central standings, Wainwright is bummed knowing he might not be around Flaherty much longer.

“Jack’s like my little brother,” Wainwright said. “I feel like I raised him in some ways, and he feels like that, too, sometimes. But it’s been really fun watching him grow and mature and learn how to pitch and compete. In [2021], he probably wins that Cy Young if he stays healthy. So, it’s going to be a sad day if that [Flaherty trade] happens.”