Semi-good news today: Adam Wainwright will boost his pitch count even more to leave open the possibility that he could rejoin the team as a starter. Per Derrick Goold:

Wainwright, who has been rehabbing to rejoin the team as a reliever, will start Saturday for Class AA Springfield, and his pitch count will increase to 65 or 70 pitches. The Cardinals pushed his start back one day and elevated his pitch count to get him ready in case he's needed as a starting pitcher. Facing uncertainty with Carpenter, the Cardinals want Wainwright to be available for either role — starter or, potentially, closer.

This is something I felt they should have been doing from day one - extend his pitch count and leave open the option of returning as either a starter or reliever. Giving Adam extended rehab outings gives him more time to get a feel for his pitches, work on his delivery, and perfect his arm slot. Additionally, making the switch from starter to reliever is a heck of a lot easier than making the switch from reliever to starter. If they needed Wainwright to move to the bullpen after rehabbing him to be a starter, he could easily make that transition. Rehabbing to be a starter opens up your options - I'm glad they're finally realizing that, even if Chris Carpenter's injury necessitated it.

Even though Carp's triceps injury is a blow to the team, it might have some benefits as well. The club is extending Wainwright as a precaution in case Carp has to miss several starts, giving Chris Perez more time to establish himself as the team's closer. He's been flawless so far, perhaps because he's been able to keep the pressure of Adam returning as the closer off his back. If Wainwright were rushed to the majors, Perez might be pushed out of his role and Adam would find himself firmly entrenched in the bullpen. Now, if Perez can prove to Tony La Russa that he's capable of being the closer, the team might opt to put Wainwright back in the starting rotation, where he belongs. There's lots of things at work here. Wainwright's performance on Saturday will be crucial.

Is Chris Perez capable of being the closer? I think so. He's increased his use of the slider, now using it 22.4% of the time, in addition to his dynamite fastball. He's going to have his bumps, but as long as he throws strikes he'll be fine. His BB/9 rate is dropping, and he's stranded a healthy 79.9% of baserunners. In a perfect world, we'd see Perez as closer and Carpenter and Wainwright heading the rotation. For now, we're just going to have to wait and see.