Cardinals' Carlos Martinez out for rest of season

The Cardinals announced yesterday that Carlos Martinez will be out for the rest of the season and the postseason. Martinez left his start Friday night in visible pain after just seven pitches, and he's been diagnosed with a shoulder strain. Martinez's injury ends a terrific season in which he struck out 184 batters in 179.2 innings and posted a 54.5 percent ground ball rate.

The Pirates, of course, have a key series coming up against the Cardinals. They would have faced Martinez in the finale of that series on Wednesday, but now they'll face Tyler Lyons instead, giving them a significantly easier matchup.

The Bucs also obviously could face the Cardinals in the NLDS (whether the Pirates win the Wild Card game or the Cardinals do), and Martinez won't be available then, either. The Cardinals have a bunch of other good starting pitching options for a short playoff series, obviously, but not having Martinez reduces their depth. The Cards have been playing short-handed and winning all season, but Martinez's absence does still weaken them.