Previously, we had heard that the St. Louis Cardinals would pitch Kyle Lohse, Edwin Jackson, and Chris Carpenter in the first three games of their NLDS matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies. But now we have a change. Derrick Goold:
Chris Carpenter Now Starting Game 2 On Short Rest For Cardinals
Carpenter is going Game 2 per La Russa.
Additionally, Carpenter isn't just swapping places with Jackson - the new rotation will go Lohse, Carpenter, and Jaime Garcia, with Jackson and Jake Westbrook available out of the bullpen over the weekend. In this way, Carpenter matches up against Cliff Lee, and becomes a possibility for a Game 5.
Why is this interesting? Because it’s risky. Why is this risky? Because, historically, pitchers have performed considerably worse on short rest than they have on regular rest. Carpenter has never started on short rest even once in his life. So this is a gamble. But Tony La Russa believes that Carpenter didn’t really exhaust himself when pitching a two-hit shutout against the Astros on Wednesday, and Carpenter is the best starter on the roster.
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