ST. LOUIS — After Wednesday night’s 4-2 win over Pittsburgh, St. Louis center fielder Randal Grichuk revealed he’s been playing with a sore foot over the past month.
You can add another injury to that list after Sunday’s 6-4 loss to Miami. Grichuk departed the game after seven innings because he felt tightness in his right elbow, an ailment the Cardinals will have to check out Monday before they start a series with San Francisco.
It forced manager Mike Matheny to make an odd double-switch he never would have made had Grichuk been healthy. Forced to substitute Grichuk, Matheny batted reliever Seth Maness fourth and kept Brandon Moss — he walked as a pinch-hitter in the seventh — in the ninth spot.
That meant St. Louis’ only extra men over the last two innings were All-Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta, who had the day off, and backup catcher Tony Cruz. It also meant that Peralta had to hit in the eighth inning instead of being available in the ninth to bat for light-hitting shortstop Pete Kozma or the pitcher’s spot.
That’s the con of going with 13 pitchers on your staff. If one of your everyday players incurs an unexpected injury that forces you to cover for him early, it leaves you at risk to empty your bench earlier.
The Cardinals prefer an extra pitcher to an extra position player in most cases. But with Grichuk playing through multiple injuries, the team may have to seek another bat from Triple-A Memphis sooner instead of later.