Piscotty discharged from hospital; Wainwright to be activated Wednesday
PITTSBURGH -- Rookie outfielder Stephen Piscotty was discharged from the hospital early Tuesday, an encouraging sign following a frightening collision with teammate Peter Bourjos in Monday night's 3-0 victory. And ace Adam Wainwright is expected to be activated on Wednesday after spending five months on the disabled list with a torn left Achilles.
Piscotty was held overnight for observation after suffering a head contusion when Bourjos' left knee smacked into him while the two chased a fly ball to the left-center gap in the seventh inning. Piscotty left PNC Park on a stretcher with his head secured to a backboard. Matheny said the 24-year-old passed a series of neurological tests on Tuesday morning before being released.
"(The doctors) were very impressed with the way (the tests) turned out," Matheny said.
Piscotty's father flew to Pittsburgh early Tuesday to join him, and Matheny said Piscotty will travel with his teammates when the Cardinals head to Atlanta later this week though it's uncertain when he'll be able to play. Matheny visited Piscotty in the hospital late Monday night and said Piscotty had no recollection of the injury and instead wanted a full rundown of the victory that trimmed St. Louis' magic number for a third straight division title to two.
"We would have stayed longer but you could tell he was kind of ready for us to go," Matheny said. "He felt like he was in good hands."
Piscotty's speedy recovery wasn't the only good news for St. Louis. Wainwright will be available for one inning on Wednesday in what amounts to an audition for a spot on the team's postseason roster. The three-time All-Star shredded his left Achilles on April 25 and was initially ruled out for the season. The timetable shifted as Wainwright's rehabilitation picked up speed and what looked like a 9-12 month recovery window barely lasted five.
"There is an I told you so for plenty of writers who wrote hilarious articles about this was impossible, it was a pipe dream and I need to shut my mouth," Wainwright said with a laugh.
Wainwright will be limited this week but could be available to start in the playoffs if there are no setbacks.
"We'll get a better read once we see him out there competing but he should be right in the middle of all the conversation moving forward," Matheny said.
NOTES: Cardinals C Yadier Molina expects to be ready when the playoffs begin. Molina is dealing with a slightly torn ligament in his left thumb. While Molina said there is considerable pain in the thumb it will be strong enough to catch and swing a bat by next week. ... Hurdle said the rotation for the final series of the regular season against Cincinnati remains in flux and will depend on Pittsburgh's spot in the standings. The Pirates are trying to hold off the Chicago Cubs for home field in the wild-card round.
