What each Cardinal pitcher has to prove during the final stretch

Adam Wainwright

The rest of the season is simple for Adam Wainwright. Keep chasing 200 wins. Each time he steps on the mound, he takes another swing at history. Unfortunately, history has eluded him for the past several months. Wainwright is cutting this down to the wire, what once seemed inevitable is beginning to seem unlikely. After beating Baltimore on September 12, he needs just one more win to reach this milestone, but he has just four on the season.

To make matters worse, he's receiving little to no run support. Even in his most recent win, the Cardinals scored just three runs while he was pitching. Since returning from the IL in August, he has had one win, but he's recorded three quality starts in that time. By my own very unofficial count, Uncle Charlie has pitched well enough to win in at least five ballgames in the second half, and each time he's been let down by an underwhelming offensive output.

This is truly one of the most difficult farewell seasons I've been around for, but it simply has to continue. This is the last thing Adam Wainwright will do as a Cardinal, and it is the only thing left to prove. He must prove it made sense to return, that he deserved the contract he signed, and that he's capable of grinding out this last win. I still believe that he'll get there, and I hope most Cardinal fans are right there with me, even now that it's becoming increasingly more difficult. Some believe "Waino" may be the final member of the 200-win club. Such an argument only magnifies the importance of this achievement. Come on Uncle Charlie!