Philadelphia — The St. Louis Cardinals suffered another potentially significant setback to their starting rotation Friday night, as Hunter Dobbins was forced to leave a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Philadelphia Phillies after experiencing persistent tightness in his right forearm.
The development came on the same day St. Louis placed fellow starter Andre Pallante on the 15-day injured list because of right elbow inflammation. With both pitchers now dealing with arm-related issues, the Cardinals could suddenly face difficult decisions regarding their rotation depth during an important stretch of the season.
Dobbins’ injury occurred after he threw just one pitch to begin the fifth inning. The 26-year-old right-hander delivered a 92.5 mph four-seam fastball to Trea Turner before Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol and the team’s training staff immediately headed toward the mound. Dobbins did not attempt a warmup pitch afterward and was removed from the contest.
Before leaving, Dobbins had surrendered three runs on five hits and three walks over four-plus innings. Although the outing was not his most efficient performance, his recent work had made him an increasingly important part of the Cardinals’ rotation.
Dobbins explained afterward that he had already noticed some tightness during his pregame warmups. He said that sensation was not completely unfamiliar, but the major difference this time was that his arm never loosened as the game progressed. He attempted to continue pitching despite the discomfort, but the Cardinals ultimately decided that there was little reason to take additional risks.
Marmol said the coaching staff had noticed Dobbins appearing to labor during the early stages of the game and again while he was preparing to take the mound for the fifth inning. Rather than allowing the pitcher to push through the issue, the manager opted for caution.
Dobbins is scheduled to undergo additional testing Saturday, which should provide the Cardinals with a better understanding of the severity of the problem. The pitcher offered one encouraging detail, saying the sensation did not resemble the injury that eventually led to Tommy John surgery before he was selected by Boston in the eighth round of the 2021 Draft.
Even so, the Cardinals will likely remain cautious until the results of the examinations are known.
The timing is particularly unfortunate for Dobbins. Since becoming a regular member of the rotation following Dustin May’s trade to Milwaukee, he has taken advantage of his opportunity and emerged as a dependable young arm. Entering Friday’s game, he had posted a 2.76 ERA across 16 1/3 innings during August.
Meanwhile, Pallante’s placement on the injured list was made retroactive to Aug. 18. The 27-year-old right-hander has been one of St. Louis’ more reliable starters this season, going 12-6 with a 3.57 ERA in 24 starts. He has accumulated 97 strikeouts and 41 walks over 136 innings.
Pallante’s latest start came Monday against Cincinnati, when he surrendered 10 hits and five runs across six innings in a 6-5 Cardinals defeat. Despite the elbow inflammation, Marmol indicated that he was not overly concerned about the pitcher’s condition.
Pallante has established himself as a regular member of the St. Louis rotation after spending his first two seasons primarily working out of the bullpen. The Cardinals selected him in the fourth round of the 2019 Draft, and his transition into a starting role has made him an important piece of the club’s pitching staff.
With Pallante unavailable, St. Louis recalled right-hander Ryan Fernandez from Triple-A Memphis to provide another arm for the roster. However, if Dobbins is also forced to miss time, the Cardinals could require additional pitching reinforcements.
Despite their pitching concerns, St. Louis received plenty of offensive production in Philadelphia.
Jordan Walker delivered another memorable performance at Citizens Bank Park, launching a go-ahead two-run homer against Jesús Luzardo in the sixth inning. It was Walker’s 27th home run of the season and his first appearance in Philadelphia since winning the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at the ballpark the previous month.
The sellout crowd of 44,802 continued to boo Walker whenever he stepped to the plate, but the young slugger once again showed that the hostile reception did little to affect his approach. Instead of using his “Derby Champ” bat, Walker used a Naruto-themed bat during Players’ Weekend.
Joshua Báez also continued his impressive introduction to the major leagues. He opened the scoring with a two-run homer off Luzardo in the first inning, marking his first home run since his remarkable MLB debut the previous Saturday, when he homered in each of his first three at-bats.
St. Louis continued fighting deep into the game. Bryan Torres delivered a two-out RBI single in the eighth inning to tie the contest at 5-5, while José Fermín came through with an RBI single in the 10th to temporarily put the Cardinals ahead.
However, the Phillies eventually turned the game around. Everson Pereira left after being struck on the left hand by an Orion Kerkering pitch in the eighth inning, forcing Fermín to move from third base to center field in the bottom of the 10th.
That defensive reshuffling proved costly. Alec Bohm ripped a two-run triple into left-center field that narrowly eluded Fermín, giving Philadelphia the walk-off victory.
For St. Louis, the loss was particularly frustrating because the club had repeatedly battled back despite losing key players during the game. Marmol praised his players for their resilience and competitive attitude, emphasizing that the Cardinals continued to demonstrate the fearless culture the organization wants to establish during its rebuilding process.
Still, the immediate concern will be the health of the pitching staff. With Pallante already sidelined and Dobbins awaiting further testing, the Cardinals could be forced to dig deeper into their pitching depth at a time when every available starter matters.
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