PITTSBURGH _ As they've sorted through various options for the ninth inning all season, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny has been asked a few times for a name or two that might get consideration for save opportunities in the near future.
His answer: "Yes."
His implication: Any reliever available.
That was the answer Matheny went back to Thursday afternoon at PNC Park as the team braces for news on closer Trevor Rosenthal. The right-hander is back in St. Louis awaiting the results of an MRI on his right elbow, and the team has already braced itself for his absence by moving him on to the 10-day disabled list. He has irritation of the posterior elbow _ the area where the UCL bends and operates and sometimes frays or tears and needs Tommy John to repair.
It is also an area where impingement happens and can cause drops in velocity and a sense of instability.
Rosenthal has told the team that he has felt tightness and discomfort in the general area of the right elbow. That's what he told them Wednesday night. That's what they knew going into the ninth inning as he tried to close out a 4-2 lead (which the team eventually squandered). Rosenthal's velocity dropped, and the Cardinals urged him to go see a doctor and he flew home for the exams.
"Just didn't look right while he warming up before the game, thought he was fine and ready to go after giving him three days, but, it was pretty obvious as he got on the mound that something wasn't right, and unfortunately it will be a little setback," manager Mike Matheny said. "It's unfortunate."
What that leaves the Cardinals with in the ninth is Seung Hwan Oh to face right-handed batters and Tyler Lyons to face lefties and righties.
Luke Weaver has joined the team and could be reserved for long relief, but the Cardinals don't want him stuck in that spot. John Mozeliak, the team's president of baseball operation, said that he would like to see Weaver used in late innings and that he has pitched well enough to even see some high-leverage spots.
Finding a reliever outside the organization will be tougher at this time of year. Many of the best available relievers have not cleared waivers and have been pulled back after being claimed.
