Mike

Parisi

Parisi, who had been pitching in Triple-A, isn’t expected to pitch again this season, and it’s possible he could be looking at Tommy John surgery. He was 0-4 with a 8.22 ERA in 23 innings in the bigs this season, but was 8-2 with a 3.86 ERA in the minor leagues.

That’s like giving up 15 runs to an average offense. It was one thing to give Parisi a spot start when the Cards thought Joel Pineiro was going to miss just the one turn, but after they put him on the DL, they should have called up a major league talent to fill in. Parisi doesn’t qualify.

One day too late for the Cardinals. If it comes down to a tight race in September, St. Louis will regret giving two starts to Parisi when they had at least three superior options in Triple-A in Anthony Reyes, Jaime Garcia and Mitchell Boggs. Parisi allowed 16 runs -- 13 earned -- in 6 2/3 innings in the two games.

It was Andy Cavazos last year. This year, Parisi has been the pitcher the Cardinals have inexplicably had spend way too much time in the majors even though there were several better options in the minors. That’s especially the case this season. Parisi took four losses in his last six appearances, and he had an 8.22 ERA and a 2.26 WHIP in 23 innings. There’s not going to be any good reason to try him again this year.

Parisi, 26, made 12 appearances with the Cardinals in 2008, but missed most the ’09 season following reconstructive elbow surgery. He was 0-2 with a 4.70 ERA in five starts with the Cardinals’ Rookie League and Class-A teams during his rehab. He recently pitched in the Arizona Fall League, posting a 4.44 ERA in seven games (six starts).

Lohse’s status for his scheduled start Sunday is uncertain, so the Cardinals have Mike Parisi ready to potentially fill in for him. “It’s been a little sore the last couple starts,” Lohse said. “It’s been a little rough getting loosened up. It’s not a big thing. Get it some rest. It’s a long season. I’m not going to forget where the plate is.”

Parisi is an odd choice to replace Anthony Reyes when the Cardinals had some relievers putting up quality numbers at Memphis. The 25-year-old right-hander had a 4.41 ERA in six starts in Triple-A. He’s a poor bet to have any long-term success in the majors.

That explains why right-hander Mike Parisi is called up. He’d get the start Monday against the Rockies if Pineiro can’t go.

He missed his scheduled start on Tuesday, but the team only expects him to miss one more game before returning next week against the Nationals. Mike Parisi (0-1, 3.29 ERA) will make Pineiro’s scheduled start on Saturday.

Todd Wellemeyer and Mike Parisi are the scheduled starts for the Cards, while the Nats will go with John Lannan and Tim Redding.