Cardinals stash Hunter Dobbins on the IL with forearm tightness after a rough night in Philly

The St. Louis Cardinals are officially pulling the plug on Hunter Dobbins for the next couple of weeks. According to MLB Trade Rumors, the right-hander is heading to the 15-day injured list with right forearm tightness.

The move comes less than 24 hours after Dobbins labored through a brutal four-inning start against the Philadelphia Phillies. He threw 77 pitches, gave up three earned runs, and walked three batters in a game the Cardinals eventually lost 7-6 in extra innings.

"MLB Trade Rumors reported the Cardinals placed Hunter Dobbins on the 15-day injured list."

Throwing 77 pitches to get 12 outs is the baseball equivalent of taking the scenic route in a traffic jam. You are working incredibly hard just to stay in the exact same place.

Before Friday night's struggle session in Philly, Dobbins was actually putting together a highly respectable sophomore campaign. He was sitting on a 3.67 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP across 54 big-league innings this season, bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen to give St. Louis some much-needed flexibility.

"Right forearm tightness" are the three scariest words you can hear about a 26-year-old pitcher. It is the medical equivalent of a check engine light that could mean a loose gas cap or a completely blown transmission. For anyone looking at the Cardinals' upcoming pitching matchups, this throws a massive wrench into how you evaluate their run prevention and bullpen usage.

St. Louis now has to scramble to fill his innings as they wrap up their weekend set against the Phillies. Dobbins will sit for at least two weeks, leaving the Cardinals to hope this is just a minor mechanical hiccup and not the start of a much longer rehab assignment.