Westbrook’s season is possibly over

Madison County's Jake Westbrook

“It’s terrible timing,” Westbrook said of the injury. “That’s what’s so disappointing about it.” Disappointing perhaps not just because his season is over, but also because he was right in the thick of what has been his best season of his career. Jake totaled 13 wins matching his high in 2006 when he made the All-Star roster as a member of the Cleveland Indians.

On Saturday, Westbrook was on schedule with his return from a brief absence from the St. Louis Cardinals’ pitching rotation after suffering a strained right oblique muscle in a start against Milwaukee earlier this month. “It was just there,” Westbrook said of the discomfort. “Knowing that I feel it then in the first 10 pitches, when I start getting after it, it’s not going to be much better. It has slowly gotten worse each day. I was hoping I could bounce back. That’s not the case.”

Cardinal pitching coach Derek Lilliquest and manager Mike Matheny walked towards the bullpen mound after noticing Jake’s discomfort. The meeting on the mound was brief and it ended with Westbrook dropping the ball and walking back to the clubhouse.

The former Madison County Red Raider standout finishes his regular season with St. Louis posting a 13-11 record and a 3.97 ERA in 28 starts. Jake falls just two wins shy of his 100th career win. Westbrook has a lifetime ERA of 4.30 in a total of 1,630.0 innings pitched. Jake entered the Major Leagues in 2000 as a member of the New York Yankees.