Chris Carpenter News: Pro Sports Daily

Carpenter feeling strong after giving up one run in spring debut

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March 9

St. Louis Globe-Democrat

"After throwing three live batting practice sessions in cool, windy conditions back in Jupiter, Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter was relieved when he saw the Monday forecast in Fort Myers called for no wind and temperatures in the low 70's. Carpenter made his first start of the spring against the Boston Red Sox, giving up one run on four hits in two innings of work in the Cardinals eventual 7-6 walk-off loss. "It was nice to get out there and actually get a sweat going a little bit and be able to hold onto the baseball," Carpenter said. "It felt good. It was exciting to get back out there in a competitive situation. "I came into today wanting to get into a real game situation and ..."

'Carp' is armed and ready

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January 17

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"When Chris Carpenter has been available to the St. Louis Cardinals during the last seven years, they've unfailingly reached the postseason. When Carpenter has been sidelined by elbow, shoulder or nerve disorders, the Cardinals have just as predictably missed the party. Given the correlation, the Cardinals on Saturday received compelling news from the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner and 2009 runner-up. "My goal this winter was to get as strong as I can so that I can make it through the season healthy," Carpenter said at the Cardinals Winter Warm-Up. "I feel like when I picked up the ball for the first time at the beginning of January, my shoulder hasn't felt better ... in years." The ..."

Giants' Lincecum repeats as Cy Young winner

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November 19

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"San Francisco Giants starter Tim Lincecum won the 2009 Cy Young Award, the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced this afternoon, giving the righthander his second consecutive award as he edged St. Louis Cardinals starters Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. Lincecum is the first pitcher to repeat as a Cy Young winner since Randy Johnson won four consecutive in the National League from 1999-2002. The voting was exceptionally close with Wainwright receiving the most first-place votes of any of the three. The vote tallies on a 5-3-1 points system with five points going to first on each ballot and one point going to No. 3 on the ballot. 1. Lincecum … 100 pts 2. Carpenter … ..."

WAINO: Why Carpenter should win Cy Young

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November 15

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

columnist Adam Wainwright

"What Chris Carpenter did to deserve the Cy Young Award sort of speaks for itself. He went 17-4, had that 2.24 ERA, missed six weeks of the season and still had as many wins as everybody else. The discussion really should be over there. Chris Carpenter, besides maybe Tim Lincecum, has the best stuff of anyone in the major leagues that I have seen. He is, really, an amazing specimen of a pitcher. He has missed years of his career with shoulder and elbow issues, then he had the nerve trouble, and he pitched most of this season with an oblique strain that probably no one knows about. But there he was wearing these patches for every game and just going out there and battling through it, ..."

Cards' Wainwright, Carpenter make imposing pair on mound

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October 6

USA Today

"It is Sunday morning. They are sitting next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, as if they're in a crowded church pew.Only they are in the St. Louis Cardinals' visiting clubhouse in Colorado, sitting on a sprawling leather couch. Adam Wainwright is wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey, No. 24, representing running back Marion Barber III. Chris Carpenter, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, is looking intently into the computer on Wainwright's lap. They are watching numbers, yardage and touchdowns flash across the screen."

Carpenter earns NL Comeback nod

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October 5

MLB.com

"If Chris Carpenter had enjoyed this season a year ago, he still would have been the National League Comeback Player of the Year. That sums up the wonder that is his 2009 campaign. Carpenter was named the winner of the annual award, voted on by MLB.com beat reporters, on Monday. He may well have more hardware coming his way as well, since he's at least a candidate for a second National League Cy Young Award. For now, though, there's little doubt that Carpenter had the league's most impressive comeback in '09. Few had farther to come, and few ascended higher -- and no one could say they did both. "When you refer to somebody as being a great this or great that, and you have to give examples ..."

Carpenter is Lincecum's Cy Young pick

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October 2

San Francisco Chronicle

"Tim Lincecum's choice to win the Cy Young Award? "I would like to see (Chris) Carpenter because of his comeback," Lincecum said. "He's put up pretty crazy numbers." Carpenter, who missed more than a month this year with an oblique injury and most of 2007 and 2008 with an elbow injury, is 17-4 with a league-low 2.24 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals after throwing five scoreless innings and driving in six runs (four on a grand slam) against the Reds on Thursday. The Cardinals have two Cy Young candidates, including Adam Wainwright (19-8, 2.58). Lincecum, after outdueling Dan Haren on Thursday, is 15-7 with a 2.48 ERA. His ERA is lower than last year's 2.62, and his strikeout total (261) is ..."

Carpernter Drvies in Six, Claims ERA Title

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October 2

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Before Thursday's series finale with the Cincinnati Reds, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was looking ahead a few days to the playoffs when he said, "Playing in October is the most fun you can have." Clearly, the last few days of September — except for the night the Cardinals clinched the National League Central Division title last week — haven't been much fun for the Cardinals, who spent some of their time grousing about the pitching mounds in Colorado and slick baseballs and pine tar in Cincinnati. But when the calendar turned to October, La Russa's team played the kind of baseball he hoped it would play in a 13-0 thumping of Cincinnati. Rick Ankiel, prospering with a rare start, had two ..."

Carpenter can't stop a sweep by Braves

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September 14

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"On his good days, which have been innumerable this season, Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter could get three or four outs employing seven pitches. On a strange Sunday at Busch Stadium, seven Carpenter pitches in the Atlanta Braves' third inning resulted in six runs. As manager Tony La Russa likes to say, "Even Sinatra has to clear his throat sometimes." Carpenter hadn't had a team bat around against him since Boston on June 8, 2005. But the Braves sent 10 runners to the plate in the third, and they gave Carpenter a head start by making the first two outs before anybody got on. At that point, it seemed business as usual for Carpenter, who had thrown a one-hit shutout in his last start at ..."

Carpenter throws one-hitter at Brewers

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September 8

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Chris Carpenter arrived at Miller Park Monday armed with a fastball that climbed above 95 miles per hour and a late-acting curveball that at times appeared to dip below sea level. In between, he offered the Milwaukee Brewers little chance. Reminding two dugouts and a Labor Day crowd of 37,790 how to define dominance, Carpenter came within one fifth-inning blemish - or in this case, a beauty mark - of hurling the Cardinals' first no-hitter in eight years. He settled instead for a 3-0 one-hitter that lasted only 138 minutes and required just 99 pitches, one outfield putout and an active imagination to see how the outcome could have been any different. "That was Nintendo baseball. That's as ..."

Dazzling display by ace

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September 8

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"St. Louis right-hander Chris Carpenter was so sharp Monday afternoon that Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jody Gerut felt as if he were playing a video game. In the dark. Blindfolded. With his hands tied behind his back. "That was Nintendo baseball," said Gerut. "That's as good a stuff as I've seen this year. He throws strikes with electric stuff." Gerut was all that stood between Carpenter and a date with destiny, collecting the only hit as the Brewers were mesmerized in a 3-0 triumph by the Cardinals at Miller Park. "Dumb luck," said Gerut of his hit. "It kept us out of the (record) book." With one down in the fifth, Gerut went the other way with a first-pitch fastball from Carpenter and ..."

Carpenter hangs tough in victory

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July 18

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"It was hardly vintage Chris Carpenter. But it was good enough for eight shutout innings Friday night, as the Cardinals bolted from the All-Star break with a 6-1 spanking of the Arizona Diamondbacks at Busch Stadium. "I don't think (Carpenter) was totally in sync ... he wasn't quite as crisp," manager Tony La Russa said. "But he's always competing. He'll never stop competing." In posting his third win in a row, boosting his record to 8-3 and lowering his earned-run average to 2.26, Carpenter's line was solid: just seven hits and one walk allowed, with seven strikeouts, in his 103-pitch outing. But the 6-foot-6 righthander found himself working out of trouble most of the evening. "He kept ..."

Carp hails Doc

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July 13

Toronto Sun

"From one former Cy Young Award winner to another: St. Louis is a great place to play. "Put Roy and I, Adam Wainwright and Kyle Lohse out there for four days, we'd be tough," Chris Carpenter, the St. Louis Cardinals right-hander told the Boston Globe when discussing the two former Blue Jays' No. 1 picks re-uniting in St. Louis. Carpenter won't be making the deal, Cards GM John Mozeliak will. But since Halladay has a full no-trade clause, Carpenter's words will carry some weight. Trade market Halladay is on the trade market and, with 18 days remaining to the non-waiver trade deadline, there is plenty of talk. And plenty of pre-deadline posturing going on: The Phillies say they are not ..."

Carpenter nails 'em down again

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June 5

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"It doesn't take much offense to get a victory with Chris Carpenter on the mound these days. In his first complete game since 2008, the Cardinals' ace gave up just three hits, including a solo home run to Lance Nix, in the Cards' 3-1 victory Thursday over Cincinnati. Teammate Albert Pujols wasn't surprised at all by what he's grown accustomed to seeing from the two-time All-Star. "It's not rocket science," Pujols said. "Look at what he did. He made one mistake the whole game." Life hasn't been easy for Carpenter since his last two full seasons, in 2005 and 2006. The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner was sidelined from opening night 2007 to July 30, 2008, because of two elbow surgeries. A nerve ..."

Carpenter, Pujols sink Cincinnati

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June 5

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Chris Carpenter dealt and Albert Pujols cranked Thursday night at Busch Stadium. Suffice to say it was a very good night for the Cardinals. Hours after manager Tony La Russa subtly advanced a push for a move to help the Redbirds' laboring offense and its signature hitter, Carpenter (4-0) gave a command performance and Pujols accounted for every RBI in a 3-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds in front of 39,249 at Busch Stadium. "That's two superstars," La Russa said. For the fifth time in 10 games the Cardinals won while scoring three runs or fewer. For the fifth time in six starts, Carpenter allowed one or no runs, as his only blemish occurred on Laynce Nix's eighth-inning home run. Carpenter ..."

Carpenter's gem goes for naught

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May 26

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"The Cardinals took something controlled, something dominant, something that even teased at history Monday and dropped them into a bin filled with wasted opportunities. On an afternoon when Chris Carpenter was perfect for six innings and overwhelming for eight, a team increasingly hostage to its offensive shortcomings lost 1-0 in 10 innings to the Milwaukee Brewers before a sold-out Memorial Day crowd of 43,032 at Miller Park. For a 13th straight game, the Cardinals failed to score more than five runs. For the second time in nine days, they allowed a starting pitcher to pour his soul into a game, only to have the Brewers take a 1-0 win, this time behind Yovani Gallardo and two relievers. ..."

Nothing to it for Carpenter

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May 21

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Conventional wisdom took a hit Wednesday night at Busch Stadium. Without so much as a minor-league rehab assignment or even a simulated start against some of his rookie teammates, Chris Carpenter returned from a five-week absence in form, in command and perhaps just in time. Carpenter's five shutout innings, three more from three middle relievers and a narrow escape by closer Ryan Franklin led to a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs before a crowd announced at 41,703. The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner buffed his reputation as team ace and a Cub-killer in only 67 pitches. Returning for his first start in 36 days, Carpenter (2-0) struck out the first hitter he faced on three pitches, permitted ..."

Cardinals get ace Chris Carpenter back in rotation

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May 19

Chicago Tribune

"With only two more series left with the Cardinals after the three-game set that starts Tuesday in St. Louis, the Cubs-Cardinals backyard fight becomes even more interesting with St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter and center fielder Rick Ankiel expected back from the disabled list. Carpenter, out since hurting his side while swinging a bat on April 14, is 7-3 lifetime against the Cubs. The Cardinals were 67-29 when Carpenter started during his first five seasons. Ankiel, who went on the DL after running into an outfield wall May 4, should be back Wednesday to add some stability to an offense that was partly responsible for 10 losses in 14 games through Monday. But it will be Carpenter who adds a ..."

Carpenter will start against Cubs on Wednesday

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May 18

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Kyle Lohse arrived at Busch Stadium on Sunday able to throw without discomfort, meaning he will take the ball in tonight's make-up against the Milwaukee Brewers and that Chris Carpenter will be activated from the disabled list Wednesday to face the Chicago Cubs. Lohse worked two innings against the Brewers on Friday before a downpour washed out the game. Manager Tony La Russa refused to confirm Carpenter's Wednesday start until confirming Lohse's availability for tonight. Had Lohse needed more time to recover he would have started Wednesday and Carpenter been pushed back to Friday against the Kansas City Royals. La Russa instead realized his best-case outcome. Carpenter threw a more ..."

Carpenter to throw off mound Tuesday

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May 11

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"With Chris Carpenter scheduled to throw from a mound today for the first time since injuring his oblique, the club has bumped No. 5 starter Mitchell Boggs' next start to Thursday's series finale against the Pirates. Boggs' turn on normal rest fell on Monday. Moving Boggs to Thursday allows Todd Wellemeyer and Joel Pineiro to remain on regular rest while giving Kyle Lohse and Adam Wainwright an extra day."