The St. Louis Cardinals' road to winning the Central Division got tougher Friday when the team placed Adam Wainwright, who leads the team with 12 wins, on the 10-day disabled list with a right elbow impingement.
Right-hander Mike Mayers has been recalled from Triple-A to take Wainwright's spot on the roster.
In 23 starts, Wainwright has gone 12-5 with a 5.12 ERA. He went on the DL on July 23 with mid-back tightness and returned Aug. 6. Wainwright pitched just 11 innings over his three starts since returning.
Mayers, who made his major league debut last year when he appeared in four games with the Cardinals, has pitched four innings for the Cards in two appearances this season. He has a 4.50 ERA over four innings.
The Cardinals enter play on Friday 1½ games behind Chicago in the Central and are five games out of the second wild-card spot.
In 25 games (15 starts) with Memphis, Mayers went 5-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 99 innings. He has been pitching in relief since the All-Star break and has a 1.89 ERA in 10 appearances over 19 innings.
Wainwright is the second St. Louis pitcher to go on the DL in as many days, following reliever Trevor Rosenthal, who will seek a second opinion on his right elbow, according to multiple reports.
Rosenthal is sidelined by right posterior elbow irritation.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that there is concern about the stability of Rosenthal's ligament, and surgery is an option.
Rosenthal allowed two runs without retiring a batter Wednesday in a Cardinals loss to the Boston Red Sox. He is 3-4 with a 3.40 ERA this season.