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There is no getting around it: Adam Wainwright had not been himself lately. Quite frankly, he was bad. Adam Wainwright was bad. That combination of words just tastes bad in the mouth. It is bitter to say and the mouth-feel is downright unpleasant. Just five days ago Ben Godar wondered if Waino had ever been this bad, and the answer was, well, no. Earlier in the season, the red baron even questioned if it was time to panic. The worrisome part was that not only was Wainwright bad, but there was no clear answer as to exactly why. Joe pinpointed his slow start to his pitching sailing up in the zone, but could Wainwright actually fix that?
His last few starts have shown moderate signs of improvement and his most recent start might be proof that Waino is not quite done yet. It was easily his best start of the year - six and two-thirds innings of shutout ball. So had Waino figured something out? August Fagerstrom of Fangraphs thinks he might have:
Wainwright looks like he's got his mechanics where he wants them, and the fastball followed suit. The curve still looks like it might need to come along a bit further for the rejuvenation to be complete, and of course Wainwright could again lose his mechanics as easily as he did in the first place, but this is a start. Wainwright's spent the year frustrated and searching. The return is still small for now, but it at least looks like he might've found something.
The "something" Waino appears to have found is a lower arm slot, which is bringing his fastball back down in the zone, an area Joe noted needed to improve. As Fagerstrom notes, the curve still needs work and this is only one start, but as of his last start, it looks like Waino might be back and none too soon.
Because the Cubs are in town and he faces them Monday night.
Adam Wainwright 6 2/3 shutout innings vs. Rox | MLB.com
Adam Wainwright May Have Found Something | FanGraphs Baseball
what else is going on in baseball...
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- Todd Frazier is big fan of Home Run Derby | whitesox.com
- Vote in Elite 8 of the best baseball jersey bracket. | Sports on Earth
- Daniel Murphy totally deked Yoenis Cespedes on a line drive and was very pleased about it | MLB.com
- Travel back in time with the Frederick Keys' perfectly 90s 'Hey Arnold' jerseys | MLB.com
- A.J. Puk at No. 1 in latest MLB mock Draft | MLB.com
- Francisco Lindor makes acrobatic slide | MLB.com
- Mike Trout (probably) robs a home run on Mike Trout-robbing-a-home-run figurine night | MLB.com
- Either Adrian Beltre really wanted to get back to first or he ran into a terrifying ghost | MLB.com
- Joe Kelly flirts with no-hitter vs. Indians | MLB.com
- MLB top GIFs of the day | MLB.com
- NERD Game Scores for Monday, May 23, 2016 | FanGraphs Baseball
- Mike Clevinger: An Indians Righty on His First MLB Inning | FanGraphs Baseball
- The Best of FanGraphs: May 16-20, 2016 | FanGraphs Baseball
- Matt Harvey is hearing boos, and I told you so | SBNation.com
- Darryl Strawberry uses an emoji to sign his last name in text messages | SBNation.com
what the cardinals are up to...
- Adam Wainwright May Have Found Something | FanGraphs Baseball
- The Cardinals defense is either really good or really terrible | Beyond the Box Score
- Suspension over, Reyes is sharp in Memphis start | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- Goold: Swing is the thing for Cardinals prospect Bader | Derrick Goold: Bird Land | stltoday.com
- Adam Wainwright 6 2/3 shutout innings vs. Rox | MLB.com
KNOW THINE ENEMY...
the chicago cubs
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- Jason Heyward leaves game with injury after making incredible diving catch | SBNation.com
- Ben Zobrist is reinventing himself | Beyond the Box Score
- Addison Russell is emerging into an elite shortstop | Beyond the Box Score
- Series with Cubs looms large for Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- Preview: Cardinals vs. Cubs | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- A Chicago Cubs Community | Bleed Cubbie Blue
the nl central
- Brandon Phillips scared Juan Uribe half to death with a fake hidden-ball trick | MLB.com
- Reds pitcher throws a silly 54 mph eephus pitch to fool hitter | SBNation.com
- The Pirates hung out with the U.S. Open trophy, while Clint Hurdle only ever got 'popsicle sticks' | MLB.com