Cardinals' Michael Wacha Exits Wednesday's Start in 2nd Inning With Apparent Injury

The St. Louis Cardinals are officially playoff bound after their four-game sweep of the Cubs, and now the team is looking to stay in top shape ahead of October.

Unfortunately, things went south for St. Louis on Wednesday, as starting pitcher Michael Wacha was removed from his start in the second inning with an apparent injury.

It's unclear at this time what forced Wacha from the game, but he had only lasted 1.2 innings before heading towards the clubhouse. Wacha threw 43 pitches prior to being pulled, surrendering two runs on four hits while striking out three.

He was replaced by right-hander Mike Mayers, who has struggled across 14 appearances this season. He owns a 7.56 ERA and 1.92 WHIP across 16.2 innings

This could very well have been the final outing in a Cardinals uniform for the 28-year-old Wacha, who is set to hit free agency this offseason, and doesn't have a guaranteed spot in the postseason rotation, to say the least.

Wacha struggled throughout the season, even being relegated to a bullpen role for a while amid his woes. On the year, Wacha owns a 6-7 record with a 4.76 ERA and 104 strikeouts across 126.2 innings of work, including his numbers from Wednesday's brief outing.

We'll provide an update on his status when more information is available.