John Smoltz Scratched From Next Start

John Smoltz will miss his next start with tendinitis in his right shoulder, MLB.com beat reporter Matthew Leach is reporting today on his blog. The Cardinals are downplaying the injury, saying that they want to get Smoltz some rest and that he'll take his spot back the next time the rotation cycles around to him.

With a huge lead in the NL Central, it makes sense for the Cardinals to be cautious with Smoltz, who's been fantastic in St. Louis. In four starts and 22 innings pitched, he's struck out 28 batters and walked just one, allowing 18 hits and just eight runs in that span. With his age and arm issues, giving him some extra rest seems like the right thing to do.

Still, this doesn't help the lingering questions surrounding Smoltz's durability for the playoffs. He hasn't gone more than six innings, and two of his five starts with the Cards have ended after five. In Boston, he struggled mightily as games progressed.

This means that it seems, at least to me, that it's still possible or even likely that Smoltz will end up in the bullpen during the playoffs. He's clearly got dominant stuff over at least a short period of time, but his arm just might not be able to handle starting. The Cardinals said earlier this week that they would be evaluating Smoltz on a start by start basis to determine his limits and while they would obviously prefer him in the rotation over Todd Wellemeyer, who's taking his start on Monday and who's struggled this year, but in the end that may not be what's best for Smoltz at this point in his career.