Waino ready to 'refocus and get serious about ending strong'

KANSAS CITY -- Adam Wainwright’s chase to 200 career wins is heading into the final stretch, but the 41-year-old pitcher is running on fumes.

For the second straight start, Wainwright allowed seven or more runs to a last-place opponent in the Cardinals’ 12-8 loss to the Royals on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium.

Wainwright gave up eight runs on nine hits and was unable to record an out in the second inning after the first four Royals reached, capped by a three-run homer by Bobby Witt Jr. that ended the righty’s outing.

Wainwright’s season ERA has climbed to 8.78, and his future in the Cardinals’ rotation over the final two-ish months of his career is as murky as ever.

“It’s delicate, to be quite honest,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He’s a pro. We’ve had some honest questions. Is it ideal? No, it’s not.

“I will sit down with Waino, and we will go through things before I answer [the] question.”

The 18-year veteran tossed his shortest start of the season against the Royals, throwing just 39 pitches, 19 fewer than any other start this season, and he was unable to generate a single swing and miss on the 16 pitches Kansas City hitters hacked at.

That includes six swings on his most reliable pitch, his curveball, which was smoked for an average exit velocity of 95.9 mph.

When Wainwright returned for his 18th and final season, he envisioned aiding the Cardinals to another division title. Instead, St. Louis (51-66) sits 15 games under .500, and his impending retirement has become a mental hurdle.

“What’s playing into me a little bit, and I’m hesitant to admit it, and I’ve heard this from older guys who have retired, but when you know you’re done, you could lose an edge,” Wainwright said. “I was really resistant to that because I thought I would fight like crazy to the end, but I’m going to have to refocus and get serious about ending strong.”

Despite giving up seven runs to the Rockies in his last start, Wainwright threw 25 pitches 87 or more mph and struck out five batters. But in his start against the Royals on Friday night, Wainwright threw just three such pitches and didn’t record a single strikeout for just the second time this season.

Wainwright was placed on the injured list on July 5 with a right shoulder strain, but he was adamant Friday that he not only felt healthy but he threw the best bullpen session in months before this start. Instead of carrying over that good feeling, though, Wainwright’s first win since June 17 eluded him once again. He’s gone seven straight starts without a win and is still stuck at 198 for his career, two shy of joining Bob Gibson (251) and Jesse Haines (210) in the exclusive Cardinals club.

“I keep getting surprised by these outings,” Wainwright said. “I keep thinking I’m going to turn a corner and be great for this team down the stretch and I just let us down again. I deserve all the negativity that I’m getting right now. I deserve it.

“Our offense did a great job of getting back into that game, and if I just go five or six for us today, we win that game easy.”

Willson Contreras, who hit .429 in July, continued to rake at the plate with a 3-for-3 night, driving in five runs. Lars Nootbaar went 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Tyler O’Neill hit his fourth homer in the month of August, but the Cardinals could only cut the nine-run deficit down to three before the Royals tacked on in the seventh and eighth.

“Is it tough when you put up that many runs but you can’t gain momentum because of how many you gave up in the first two [innings]? Absolutely,” Marmol said. “I understand all of it. It’s unfortunate how it’s played out, but I will sit down with Waino and see what’s next.”

And Wainwright’s answer? It’s simple. He wants to be out there.

“I don’t want to go out like that. That’s just embarrassing,” Wainwright said. “Nobody wants to see that. I know people are rooting for me and I know people are sad with … the way things are going and I get it, but trust me, you’re not more sad than me. I’m really sad about it.

“But I’m also confident I’m going to end strong. And I don’t even know why I believe it but I believe it. And that’s the important thing.”