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| The Cardinals will be without Jake Westbrook for … how long? (Getty Images) |
Cardinals right-hander Jake Westbrook strained his right oblique during Saturday night's loss to the Brewers, and he'll miss at least his next scheduled start, reported MLB.com's Jennifer Langosch.
Langosch also noted the severity of Westbrook's injury was not yet known, but history teaches us that oblique injuries can indeed linger. Given the late hour, it's not out of the question that Westbrook will be laid up for the rest of the regular season.
While Westbrook (13-11) is no one's idea of an ace, he's an important part of a Cardinals rotation that has been wildly inconsistent behind Kyle Lohse. This season, the ground-balling Westbrook has an ERA of 3.97 in 174 2/3 innings pitched.
It's not yet certain who will take Westbrook's turn (or turns). Lance Lynn (13-7) could be summoned back from the bullpen. Perhaps phenom Shelby Miller could be given his first major-league start. Trevor Rosenthal (0-1) is another possibility, and, as Langosch writes, Chris Carpenter becomes a possibility if Westbrook is forced to miss more than one start.
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