ST. LOUIS — On June 17, Adam Wainwright's final season looked like it was starting to stabilize. In the two months since then, the hopes of a dream season have looked more like a nightmare.
Since picking up career win 198 on June 17, Wainwright had made nine starts and been handed a loss eight times heading into Monday's game. In the one game the Cardinals won in that stretch, the bullpen coughed up a lead, and Wainwright was left with a no-decision.
So, with another shot at a win on Monday, Wainwright made some changes for the matchup with the San Diego Padres.
The high socks were swapped out for long pants and his face was freshly shaven.
"I'm not overly superstitious, but shoot, I'll try anything. You know, we need to get this get this ship going in the right direction," Wainwright said after the game.
The changes seemingly worked, with Wainwright pitching five scoreless frames and sending the Cardinals to the plate in the bottom of the fifth in a 0-0 tie.
When the Cardinals loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth, Wainwright was noticeably quiet in the dugout.
"I think probably what you saw was me praying for us to get a hit there with the bases loaded," Wainwright said. "'Come on, babe. Please, please.' You know, something like that might have been what you saw."
The Cardinals could not cash in that chance, with Andrew Knizner and Jordan Walker striking out to end the inning.
The next inning, an old friend came back to bite Wainwright.
With runners on first and third, and one out, Matt Carpenter dropped a run-scoring single into right field to plate the game's first run.
“Stinking Carp, golly. I’m gonna send him some room service at 4 o'clock this morning," Wainwright said of his revenge plans against his former teammate.
The Cardinals couldn't mount a comeback, and lost the game 4-1, hitting Wainwright his ninth loss in 10 starts.
The Cardinals sit in last place in the NL Central with a 56-76 record. It is the first time they have been 20 games below .500 since 1995.
With 30 games remaining in the season, Wainwright should have at least six more chances to get those last two wins and make it to the 200-win milestone. He would be the third player in team history to reach 200 wins for the franchise. Bob Gibson holds the team record with 251 wins and Jessee Haines won 210 in 18 years with the team from 1920 to 1937.