Chris Carpenter has always been regarded as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, but the 2005 Cy Young winner has battled a slew of injuries throughout his 11-year career. Carpenter will make his first attempt at a comeback from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, when the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field in the third of a four-game series between these National League clubs.
St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves – 7:00 PM ET
Carpenter (0-0, 0.00) made his last start on April 1st, 2007, taking the loss as the Cardinals fell 6-1 at home to the Mets by allowing five runs on nine hits over six innings. After that game, Carpenter went to the disabled list, where it was discovered that he needed the dreaded Tommy John surgery. When he is healthy, there are not very many better pitchers in the game, as proven by his 51-18 record in the three seasons prior to his injury. However, the Cardinals will be extra cautious with Carpenter, especially since teammate Mark Mulder went back on the disabled list after coming back from a rotator-cuff injury.
Jair Jurrjens (10-5, 3.02) won for the third time in five starts as the Braves routed the Phillies 8-2 in Philadelphia, tossing a three-hit shutout over eight innings, striking out six and walking one along the way. This was a very strong outing for the 22-year-old righthander, which came after he was shelled against a lowly Washington team in his previous start. The Cardinals could have a rough time against Jurrjens at Turner Field, where he is 5-2 in ten starts with an ERA of 3.28. This will be Jurrjens' first career meeting against the Cardinals.
The Cardinals rolled to a 12-3 romp over the Braves in the first game of this series on Monday, taking advantage of some poor pitching and field by the home side. All eyes will be on Carpenter, to see how his arm holds up as this could be his last chance to be a dominant pitcher again. Meanwhile, the young Jurrjens will try to use the home crowd to his advantage.
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