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| St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has decided that ace Chris Carpenter will start Game 2 of the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies on short rest. Carpenter, who is 36, has never pitched on three days rest in his career. - Photo courtesy of Getty Images |
It was the type of gutsy performance typical of a former Cy Young winner who is comfortable pitching in big game situations.
And for the first time ever in his career, Carpenter will pitch in a big game sooner than he is accustomed.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa announced on Friday that Carpenter would start in Game 2 of the NLCS in Philadelphia on Sunday. This means that Carpenter will be pitching on three days rest, which is something the 36 year old has never done before in his career.
La Russa said that it really was an easy decision once Carpenter had such an easy night on Wednesday and normal recovery since.
"A lot depended on Wednesday, and he had a real good game. He felt strong at the end, so we didn't really announce anything because we wanted to wait to see how he felt yesterday, wanted to wait to see how he feels today. And if he would have come in with any kind of stiffness, we would have gone a different direction."Game 2 could turn out to be a crucial game in this series. The Cardinals are sending Kyle Lohse up against Cy Young hopeful Roy Halladay, a match-up that heavily leans in the Phillies favor.
So Carpenter, who will be going up against another Philadelphia ace in Cliff Lee, will need to be sharp, especially if the Cardinals are trailing 1-0 in the series.
La Russa may be gambling a bit by throwing his ace on short rest. Carpenter, who was 11-9 with a 3.45 ERA during the regular season, has never pitched on short rest before. Carpenter has had a history of injuries which limited him to pitching on normal rest in the past, but this is new territory for the veteran.
Plus, if Carpenter is not sharp and the Cardinals fall behind 2-0, La Russa would have no ace to turn too in order to try and save the series.
Starting Carpenter on short rest is likely the right decision though. He is easily the best starter the Cardinals have to offer and La Russa is right to use his ace as often as possible. Using Carpenter in Game 2 makes him available for a series finale on normal rest if the series gets that far.
And if the Cardinals hope to push the Phillies to the brink and advance, they will need a good Carpenter on short rest in Game 2 on Sunday.
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