Adam Wainwright... Cy Young front runner?

It seems like Ubaldo Jimenez has been the front runner for the Cy Young Award for so long that it almost seemed silly to look at other candidates.

And then suddenly we all looked up and Josh Johnson somehow passed him on the radar.

Well now it is looking more and more like Wainwright is the one to vote for.

Last night he threw another complete game shutout (he is second in the league for both complete games and shutouts to Roy Halladay)... which gives him 16 wins (second to Jimenez's 17 wins) an ERA of 2.07 (second to Josh Johnson's 1.96) a WHIP of 1.00 (second to Mat Latos's 0.99) in 169 innings pitched (second to Roy Halladay's 178).

(His 154 strikeouts puts him in third in the NL... it was almost so perfectly lined up.)

Being #2 in so many categories should put him #1 in the Cy Young vote... at least at this juncture.

Now a dominating August and September could put Jimenez back on top... or Johnson... or even Halladay.

Wainwright already has the ultimate team highlight... clinching the 2006 World Series. Now to snag the top individual achievement.

He's in second place so many times that he might have to be in first.