St. Louis Cardinals righthander Chris Carpenter had thrown live batting practice on Sunday and the team had hoped that he might still be ready to start on Opening Day April 4 against the Marlins.
Unfortunately, now that seems less likely than ever. Joe Strauss:
Carpenter resumed a throw program last week and appeared to work without discomfort during Sunday’s session against hitters. But as the Cardinals headed north to play the Atlanta Braves and Astros on a two-day trip, Carpenter felt renewed pain while trying to toss on Monday.
“His arm just didn’t respond,” manager Mike Matheny said.
Carpenter headed back to St. Louis Tuesday to be examined further. Lance Lynn takes over Carpenter’s spot in the rotation, for now, and it appears that Kyle Lohse will make the April 4 start, which would be his second Opening Day start for the Cardinals (he also started the Cards’ opener in 2008).
For more on the Cardinals and Carpenter, please visit Viva el Birdos.