Todd Wellemeyer: NL Pitcher of the Month

The St. Louis Cardinals may have found a legitimate second starter behind Adam Wainwright. Todd Wellemeyer has been pitching beautifully this season, especially in the month of May— so much so, that he was voted NL Pitcher of the Month today.

Wellemeyer was impressive as any, this month, with a 4-0 record and a 2.19 ERA. He probably would have bumped that to 5-0 with a 6 IP, 0 ER outing against Milwaukee, but received a no-decision.

The point is Wellemeyer's pitching is a far cry from his relieving days, in which he routinely put up sub par numbers. I am not ready to jump on the bandwagon just yet, but I think Dave Duncan is on to something when he said that “Wellemeyer is looking as sharp as” he'd ever seen him.

What is not to like if you are a Cardinals fan, with an ERA just over 3.00, and a 6-1 record? Because he has these starts through 12 starts, seems still a little premature to think that Wellemeyer will continue this pace for the rest of the season.

I have seen Wellemeyer at his best this season, but I have also seen him show a lack of control and accuracy. It is a big credit to Wellemeyer that he has lowered his ERA almost 1.00 in just under a month. He hasn't thrown less than 6.0 IP since May 4th.

If we could have the entire staff pitching the way Wellemeyer has been lately, the team would be doing unbelievable. Granted, the Cardinals are ten games over .500, which is certainly nothing to feel salty about. Without the quality outings from Wellemeyer, I can't see St. Louis being much more than three or four over.

Congratulations on the award, Todd. Keep up the good work on the hill, and we will hope to support you with sufficient offense. Right, Albert?