Jaime Garcia, Contender For Rookie Of The Year, Shut Down For Season

There is certainly incentive to take precaution with the 24-year-old lefty, who has emerged as a Rookie of the Year contender in 2010. Through 163.1 innings he’s maintained a 2.70 ERA and provided rotation depth for a team that, for a good portion of the season, was a serious playoff contender.

Entering Wednesday night’s game, the Cardinals were seven games out of the N.L. Central lead with 19 games to play. It isn’t a completely insurmountable deficit, but the Cardinals may not have been as ready to shut Garcia down if they were a few games closer.