St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter delivers a pitch to the Chicago Cubs in the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 5, 2011.
Matt Carpenter always tries to stay ready, keeping an assortment of gloves nearby. That's his job.
The St. Louis Cardinals' utilityman took on a new role in Game 3 of the NL championship series: game-changer.
Carpenter hit a two-run homer after subbing for Carlos Beltran and the Cardinals chased Matt Cain before a 3 1/2-hour rain delay in the seventh inning of a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night for a 2-1 series lead.
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter. The Cards completed one of the more remarkable comebacks in baseball history, clinching the NL wildcard Wednesday night with an 8-0 win over Houston and a later loss by Atlanta.
Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals completed one of the more remarkable comebacks in baseball history, clinching the NL wild card Wednesday night with an 8-0 win over Houston and a later loss by Atlanta.
The Cardinals got their playoff spot when the Braves fell to Philadelphia 4-3 in 13 innings. St. Louis trailed Atlanta by 10 1/2 games on Aug. 25. The Cardinals won 23 of their last 31 games.