We’re approaching the midway point of the 2015 season, and the playoff races in the American and National Leagues are still quite tight. And while every team has dealt with injuries in one form or another this year, not all of those injuries are created equal. Yeah, it sucks for the Phillies that Cliff Lee hasn’t thrown a pitch this year…but it’s not as if Philadelphia would be a contender if Lee was fully healthy and dominating behind Cole Hamels in their rotation. Here are five injuries that are having the biggest effect on the 2015 playoff race, including one that may surprise you.
Yu Darvish, elbow. The Rangers rotation has been in shambles this year, but with all due respect to Matt Harrison, Derek Holland, and Martin Perez, no Texas pitcher is more important than Darvish. He has a career 3.27 ERA over 83 MLB starts, and has struck out 680 hitters in just 545 1/3 innings. He’s out for the year with Tommy John surgery, and one has to wonder how far over .500 the Rangers would be with a healthy Darvish heading their rotation. They’re 38-38 this season without him, and that’s *with* a rotation that has featured both Ross Detwiler and Wandy Rodriguez this season.
SEATTLE, WA – APRIL 20: Starting pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma #18 of the Seattle Mariners heads to the dugout after being removed from the game against the Houston Astros in the sixth inning at Safeco Field on April 20, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Hisashi Iwakuma, shoulder. I wouldn’t say that the Mariners have fallen apart without Iwakuma, but they’ve certainly struggled while he’s been on the DL with a strained lat. His spot in the rotation has mainly been filled by Roenis Elias, originally ticketed for the bullpen. Elias has held his own (4.25 ERA over 72 innings), but the bullpen has been a disaster without him there to soak up innings, a role that has fallen to newly-acquired Vidal Nuno, who came over from Arizona in the Mark Trumbo deal. However, it’s not as if Seattle would be at the top of the AL West with a healthy Iwakuma – they still can’t score runs to save their lives. But having him as the #2 behind Felix Hernandez would have Lloyd McClendon and company breathing a lot easier, and would likely have them in the thick of the AL Wild Card race instead of desperately trying to stay out of the AL West basement.
CINCINNATI, OH – APRIL 6: Devin Mesoraco #39 of the Cincinnati Reds bats against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on April 6, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Devin Mesoraco, hip. The way the Reds handled Mesoraco’s hip injury this season was ridiculous. He played in 23 games, caught a total of 51 innings, and didn’t don the catcher’s gear after April 12th. Yet, it took until the middle of May until he had his season-ending hip surgery and was placed on the DL. Career backup Brayan Pena and light-hitting prospect Tucker Barnhart have gotten most of the playing time behind the plate this year, and while both are keeping their heads above water, neither is in the same class as Mesoraco offensively. Losing Mesoraco’s bat from their lineup is a big blow for a team that thought they could possibly contend in a deep NL Central.
ST LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 06: Pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu #99 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game Three of the National League Division Series at Busch Stadium on October 6, 2014 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)
Hyun-Jin Ryu, shoulder. The shoulder that limited Ryu to 26 starts a year ago cost him all of 2015, and that’s not good news for a Dodgers team that also lost free agent signing Brandon McCarthy to Tommy John surgery. Los Angeles has gotten typically solid starts from Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, but have relied on the injury-prone Brett Anderson and long-time Diamondbacks farmhand Mike Bolsinger to stabilize the middle of their rotation. Losing Ryu really hurts, given the generally rough performances that the team has gotten from the fifth start in their rotation. The Dodgers are one more starting pitcher injury away from trouble, and all of these issues started last September with Hyun-Jin Ryu’s shoulder.
ST. LOUIS, MO – APRIL 19: Starter Adam Wainwright #50 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the in the second inning at Busch Stadium on April 19, 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Adam Wainwright, Achilles. Wait, Adam Wainwright? This list is stupid. The Cardinals have won two-thirds of their game this season. They haven’t missed a beat since Wainwright ruptured his Achilles in Milwaukee at the end of April. He might even try to pitch in September or October! (that would be a very unlikely scenario, but I digress) So how can Wainwright be on this list? Easy – he’s the Cardinals’ best player. They’re a better team with him healthy and at the top of the rotation. St. Louis essentially replaced Wainwright in their rotation with Jaime Garcia, who made just 36 starts between 2012 and 2014 while dealing with recurring shoulder issues. It’s not a stretch to say he’s an injury risk – and sure enough, he’s been bumped from his next start because of a groin injury. Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez will both be at career-high innings totals in September. If an in-form Wainwright was still in the Cardinals rotation, none of these things would be issues. But without Wainwright, the Cardinals could very well be in trouble once the season starts winding down.
