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Buffa: Cardinals face dilemma in how to handle Adam Wainwright's finale

Whether he makes it back as a starter or bullpen guy, I want Wainwright to finish an inning as a Cardinal one more time. I want him to get back on that hill, collect three outs, and leave it with his head high.
Matt Marton-USA TODAY SPORTS

How do you handle a legend during his final days?

The St. Louis Cardinals face a true dilemma in how to proceed forward with Adam Wainwright, their embattled starter who keeps running into roadblocks set up by his own body this season. Pitching in the final year of his six-year contract extension granted back in the glory days of his career, Wainwright gave a comeback the old college try on Sunday afternoon in San Diego, walking six while barely touching 90 mph in just 2.1 innings of work. It was far from pretty.

After the start, fans questioned the move when reports surfaced that Wainwright felt pain in his right elbow during warm-ups rather than during the actual game. Was Wainwright being the tough resilient starter or a guy approaching the end of the road putting his pride first?

The truth is there are no easy answers to that question. Wainwright wasn't ready to tell Cardinals manager Mike Matheny that his arm wasn't working right. He wanted to give it a shot. After all, this is the same bulldog pitcher who came up through the minors as a starter, moved to the bullpen for the Cardinals, and then back to starting. This is the guy who has rebounded from numerous injuries before, including Tommy John surgery in 2011. Do you really expect Wainwright to step down after some discomfort?

Remember two years ago when Lance Lynn pitched for months with a partially torn ligament in his elbow in order to help the team cover some innings in the middle of a difficult season? Pitchers take the mound hurt in some way more often than you'd like to know, and no one can get in their way. When you are trained to throw 100+ pitches more than 30 times per season, tough becomes a part of your DNA and it can't simply be turned off.

More than likely, Wainwright saw a beleaguered bullpen needing some rest and a manager who couldn't pull a magic trick out of his pocket 15 minutes before game time. He took the mound because that's what warriors do. If he had managed five innings and kept the Cardinals in it, he would be called courageous and be championed by fans. Since it didn't work out that way, Wainwright and the Cardinals are being slammed for it. Welcome to pro sports. But wait, there's more.

Sunday afternoon was one thing, but it was Sunday night that brought on even more questions.

Wainwright tore his Achilles tendon in April 2015. He returned in the latter stages of 2015 and has been a shell of his former self the two seasons that followed, only showing brief glimpses of the dominant starter that toyed with hitters for years. Some players don't recover fully from the injury. Just ask Ryan Howard, the St. Louis native who tore it on the final out of the National League Division series in 2011 between the Cardinals and Phillies.

This train of thought has Wainwright altering his pitching motion to relieve the stress of the pain coming from his Achilles, which, in turn, placed an entirely new kind of pressure on his right elbow. That same elbow needed to be cleaned up this past offseason and is currently causing him trouble. Hence the sidearm motion, dip in velocity and drop in effectiveness. Let's face it: he hasn't been himself since the injury.

Remember April 2015 Waino before the Achilles? Man, that guy was unreal. Just ask the Brewers about those first four innings on that fateful night.

Wainwright could have complained about the pain, but once again, that's not what competitors do. The reason we love Wainwright is his toughness and resilience to the rigors of being an MLB pitcher. Let's not abandon that support now as he witnesses his final stages.

Sunday was tough. Monday is even worse. This week will bring uncomfortable realizations about the pitcher's future and what he can do for the Cardinals. Like an owner and car dealership rep looking at a 2005 Ford truck on its last leg, decisions have to be made.

First, Wainwright will hit the disabled list for a few weeks. I wouldn't expect him back before the end of June at the earliest. There are no more procedures to be done on his elbow or arm. All he can do is rest and hope for the best. Wainwright can support his teammates, be there for the rookies and pause his career. He has no other choice.

Eventually, the Cardinals will have to think about what to do with Wainwright once the team and player believe his elbow is fit for some action. There will be a start or two in Springfield or Memphis again. One last rehab tour. He will look good and then come back.

Should Wainwright get another start? Yes he should. If the elbow is deemed healthy and Wainwright is fit to go, he should get one more opportunity to see what he's got. After a decade-plus of service and performance, Wainwright deserves to go out on his shield. Also, one can't disregard the two solid starts he had in April against Milwaukee and Chicago. If the elbow is good, perhaps there's something there.

The Cardinals would be ready with backup just in case. You'd have a young starter like Austin Gomber or Jack Flaherty ready to roll if Wainwright struggled. The bullpen would have an extra arm that day, giving the Cards more reason to churn the roster a little extra.

I don't think Wainwright would work well in the bullpen. When he hasn't had the stuff in games, it occurs early. He doesn't fly through the lineup once and then hit a stoppage. He gets dinged early. Part of me thinks he would accept the mission in order to help his team and do what was necessary. Part of me thinks he would step down and not take innings from a more-seasoned reliever. Again, the man has pride and won't let it cripple the team anymore. Yes, I said anymore. If you saw Wainwright's face on Sunday, you could tell he was feeling some regret for not taking himself out of Sunday's game earlier.

Again, this will not be easy for the player or the team. The Cardinals are handling a legend's final moments. Wainwright won't make 20 starts this year. He won't be what he once was ever again. The guy who took the mound in early April 2015 is long gone. This new guy is still figuring out how to compete with a lesser-equipped model. That's never a smooth transition. It will end this season. I just don't know when.

Whether he makes it back as a starter or bullpen guy, I want Wainwright to finish an inning as a Cardinal one more time. I want him to get back on that hill, collect three outs, and leave it with his head high. The 6-foot-7 frame with just enough scruff and fury in his eyes staring down a hitter at the plate while muttering to himself, "Say when!" I want to see that again. I believe even the biggest Wainwright critic does as well.

Let's not forget all the charity work and community benefit Wainwright has given St. Louis. From his Fantasy Football tournaments to creating fields for young kids, Wainwright has given back to this city in ways that will live on for decades. It's hard to say a bad thing about the guy.

While those off-the-field efforts don't figure into ERA or BABIP on the field, it makes the process of watching him approach the end that much harder to grasp. I don't want to see Wainwright stop pitching, but like it or not, Sunday was the first true sign that the end is near. It's time to prepare. He won't like reading this article. I'd be mad at the guy if he did.

The Cardinals have a little while to figure out Wainwright's next step. We don't need test results to know the elbow isn't right and the arm causing the man pain. Former Cardinal great and Wainwright's ex-teammate and best friend, Chris Carpenter, knew it was time to stop when the nerve injury in his right arm was affecting his everyday life. He couldn't pick up his son, Sam, without feeling pain. Wainwright is cut from the same cloth as Carpenter, so he will know when to say when.

Wainwright has won 147 games as a Cardinal, posted a 3.30 ERA and struck out 1,598 batters with 508 walks. He's won four postseason games and earned four saves, posting a 3.03 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. It would be cool to see Wainwright earn win #150 in Cardinal red. Unfortunately, "It would be" is becoming a staple with the 36-year-old righthander.

How do you handle a legend in his final days? With care and respect. Adam Wainwright deserves such, but it won't be easy. For the Cardinals and their fans, that end will be no fun at all.

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