Martinez, Wacha and Lynn Allow Cardinals to Absorb Adam Wainwright Injury

Adam Wainwright is one of the game's true aces and the jumping-off point when discussions turn to the St. Louis Cardinals being the National League Central favorites.

So watching him slowly leave the field under the concerned eyes of a trainer and manager Mike Matheny understandably sent a wave of fear throughout the team's dugout. If you are going to pinpoint any Cardinals player the team can't afford to lose long term, Wainwright is at the top of the list.

The team says Wainwright suffered a left ankle injury during an at-bat in the fifth inning Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers. He will be re-evaluated in St. Louis on Monday.

But if you read anything into the team's postgame comments or attitude, this is a scary situation for the Cardinals. The early speculation is it could be an Achilles injury since Wainwright described the pain being at the back of his ankle and that he felt like he "got hit" with something.

"It doesn't look good," teammate Matt Holliday told reporters afterward (via Stan McNeal). MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch noted the team's "obvious concern" regarding Wainwright's injury:

"

Somber mood in #stlcards clubhouse following 5-3 win. Obvious concern that Wainwright's injury is serious, potentially season-ending.

— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) April 26, 2015"

If Wainwright has to miss significant time, it will be a blow. In four of his previous five seasons, Wainwright has had a sub-3.00 ERA, won no fewer than 19 games and thrown at least 227 innings.

In a different season, Wainwright limping off the field and any long-term ramifications that may come with that could send the Cardinals reeling. It could change how they are viewed as division favorites.

That is not necessarily true in 2015, though. 

There might not be a team in Major League Baseball more equipped to absorb the blow of losing their ace right now than the Cardinals. They have a rotation packed with front-line pitchers in their 20s, and all three of them have sub-2.00 ERAs through each of their first three starts this season.

Michael Wacha, Carlos Martinez—both 23 years old—and Lance Lynn, 27, have helped Wainwright pitch the Cardinals to a 12-4 record. Those four are the reasons the rotation led the majors with a 2.06 ERA entering Saturday, a number lowered to 1.97 by Wainwright's four shutout innings before the injury.

That is the franchise's lowest rotation ERA through 16 games since 1943, when the rotation put up a 1.78 mark, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Cardinals Gameday noted the starting rotation's success:

"

Cardinals on a roll entering tonight's game, winning 8 of their past 9 games, during which the starting rotation is 7-0 with a 1.68 ERA.

— Cardinals Gameday (@STLGameday1) April 25, 2015"

Lynn is picking up where he left off last season, when he put up career bests in ERA, innings and ERA-plus. He's allowed three earned runs over 17.1 innings this season (1.56 ERA) and has yet to surrender a home run. His 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings are seventh in the National League.

As for Wacha and Martinez, they are mild surprises.

Wacha was a question mark going into the season. His 2014 was limited to 19 starts because of a scapular stress reaction in his right shoulder. After a superb rookie season in 2013, Wacha's durability entering this season was an unknown.

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

He's quieted all of the doubts by going 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA that is the fourth-lowest among pitchers with at least two starts. His 0.934 WHIP ranks 14th in the league. 

Martinez's development as a major league starter has been maybe the most important part of the rotation's success this year, partly because the Cardinals traded away pitching depth when they moved Joe Kelly to the Boston Red Sox and Shelby Miller to the Atlanta Braves.

In 32.1 innings as a starter last season, Martinez had a 4.45 ERA and was not a sure thing to win his job when spring training started. This year has been completely different.

Martinez has a 1.35 ERA over 20 innings—he's pitched one relief inning this season—and a 0.90 WHIP. He has also struck out 9.5 hitters per nine innings, showing that he has tools to put himself on an elite level.

If Wainwright's injury is severe, meaning he is out for months or possibly the entire season, it will be a devastating shot to the Cardinals. He is a veteran at the top of his game with a solid postseason track record.

His long-term loss could also crack the door open in the NL Central for a new division winner. But as things stand now, the Cardinals can withstand the loss to a degree.

Lynn, Wacha and Martinez have all taken steps to put themselves at the top or near the front of the rotation. With Wainwright out, possibly for the long term, none of them can take backward steps if the Cardinals are going to continue their stranglehold on the division.

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.