Pitcher Notes: Wainwright, Gausman, Bauer

The latest on a trio of MLB pitchers:

• After missing nearly all of last season with a torn Achilles, longtime Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright’s return hasn’t gone according to plan. In 5 1/3 innings Saturday, Wainwright allowed 10 hits and seven earned runs while striking out just two hitters in a 9-8 loss to the Reds. The 34-year-old walked only one batter – a big improvement over the combined eight free passes he issued in his first two starts – but he now owns an 8.27 ERA in 16 1/3 innings this month. Nevertheless, he expects to break out of his funk. “What I will and can say is I will come out of this, and I will be a very, very good pitcher. I’m just not there right now,” he said, according to Joe Harris of MLB.com. Wainwright will try to right the ship against the offensively challenged Padres next Friday.
• Orioles righty Kevin Gausman, who’s recovering from tendinitis in his throwing shoulder, tossed 74 pitches in a rehab start for Class-A+ Frederick on Friday and said Saturday that he’s “ready to get going” in Baltimore, per Dave Sessions of MLB.com. “I don’t think there would be anything wrong with getting another [rehab start], but at the same time, I want to pitch for the Orioles,” continued Gausman, who’s on the 15-day DL. “I want to be up here, I don’t want to miss any more starts, that’s the biggest thing. “ Gausman has posted a career 4.27 ERA, 7.48 K/9 and 2.57 BB/9 in 238.1 innings as a starter and will slide back into the rotation when he returns. With Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez and Yovani Gallardo also in place, either Vance Worley or Mike Wright will be the odd man out of the quintet.
• The Indians are encouraged by Trevor Bauer’s early season performance as a reliever, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com. “I hope he continues to throw like he has in the bullpen,” said Antonetti. “What role that will ultimately morph into either in the bullpen or back in the rotation will depend on what the team needs.” The Indians shifted Bauer to the bullpen prior to the season in favor of Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin, who beat him out for the last two jobs on the starting staff. Bauer has responded by striking out eight, walking two and allowing a pair of runs in six innings. Both of those runs came on a David Ortiz Opening Day homer, and Bauer has since worked five scoreless innings in a row. The former top prospect threw 329 frames as a starter for the Indians from 2014-15, but his results were uninspiring (4.38 ERA) and he had control problems (3.8 BB/9).