St. Louis Cardinals reliever Ryne Stanek had to be pulled from Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh inning after suffering what appeared to be a foot or ankle injury at first base.
The right-hander seemed to jam his foot into the bag while rushing to cover on a bunt single hit by Joey Ortiz. Stanek had just entered the game after newcomer Bruce Zimmerman had worked five innings of relief during the first contest of a doubleheader.
The timing of the injury is particularly unfortunate for St. Louis, coming less than a day after Justin Bruihl exited Monday’s game with a sprained right ankle — adding to what is becoming a growing list of pitching concerns for the club.
The 34-year-old Stanek is expected to take the loss after giving up a walk and the bunt single. Later in the same inning, Christian Yelich delivered a double that handed Milwaukee a 4-3 lead.
Before Tuesday’s game, Stanek had posted a 2-1 record with a 4.67 ERA across 38 appearances on the season. He also threw an inning in Monday’s 4-3 defeat.
