At age 35, Chris Carpenter has been pitching deep into games for the St. Louis Cardinals this season.
Much has been written recently about St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright’s home success, where he is currently 11-0 with a 1.22 ERA in 12 starts this season. Some excited scribes, including yours truly, passed the mantle of team ace from Chris Carpenter to Waino.
I may have spoken too soon. When the Cardinals clearly needed a stopper after a pair of extremely embarrassing and ugly home losses to the Houston Astros, it was Carpenter who stepped up Wednesday night. Avoiding overexposing a suddenly-leaking bullpen, Carp worked 7 1/3 innings to improve to 12-3 and win for the ninth time in 11 decisions at Busch Stadium.
While Wainwright has averaged just six innings over his most recent four starts, Carpenter has stepped up big. If Carp isn’t the ace, he is clearly the horse of the staff.
As good as Wednesday night’s performance was, it was actually a step down from his previous three outings at Busch, where he went at least eight innings each time. Carp still owns the longest two stretches of home starts of at least eight innings since 1990 and three of the top nine.
The downside? Carpenter is on pace to toss 246 innings this season. A new career high at the age of 35 has to be considered a red flag. Wainwright is not far behind with a projected load of 240 1/3, which would also be a new maximum for him.
All tables are consecutive starts of eight innings or more, courtesy of researcher Tom Orf.
| # | Home since 1980 | 8 IP or more – dates | Record | ERA |
| 5 | Chris Carpenter | 2005-07-17/2005-08-19 | 2-0 | 1.47 |
| 4 | Chris Carpenter | 2006-08-15/2006-09-11 | 3-0 | 0.51 |
| 3 | Chris Carpenter | 2010-07-15/2010-07-30 | 2-0 | 0.75 |
| 3 | Woody Williams | 2003-05-31/2003-06-21 | 2-1 | 1.13 |
| 3 | Todd Stottlemyre | 1998-05-11/1998-05-27 | 3-0 | 1.78 |
| 3 | Andy Benes | 1996-08-10/1996-08-31 | 3-0 | 1.50 |
| 3 | Bob Tewksbury | 1994-04-26/1994-05-11 | 2-0 | 1.80 |
| 3 | Bob Tewksbury | 1992-05-30/1992-06-29 | 2-0 | 1.04 |
| 3 | Omar Olivares | 1991-08-29/1991-09-14 | 2-1 | 1.09 |
MLB Network commentator Joe Magrane holds the longest run of eight innings in all starts since 1980 with seven. Carp had a stretch of five during his Cy Young Award campaign in 2005.
| # | All games since 1980 | 8 IP or more – dates | Record | ERA |
| 7 | Joe Magrane | 1989-07-30/1989-08-29 | 7-0 | 2.23 |
| 6 | John Tudor | 1986-05-28/1986-06-23 | 2-0 | 1.35 |
| 5 | Chris Carpenter | 2005-08-02/2005-08-24 | 3-0 | 2.36 |
| 5 | John Tudor | 1985-07-24/1985-08-12 | 5-0 | 1.04 |
Of course, the master is Hall of Famer Bob Gibson. In “The Year of the Pitcher”, 1968 and through the next year as well, Gibson put together a run of iron-man pitching reminiscent of the early days of baseball.
| # | Home since 1952 | 8 IP or more – dates | Record | ERA |
| 33 | Bob Gibson | 1968-04-20/1969-10-02 | 19-12 | 1.71 |
| # | All games since 1952 | 8 IP or more – dates | Record | ERA |
| 35 | Bob Gibson | 1968-04-20/1969-04-19 | 23-10 | 1.13 |
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I wonder what kind of animal Kyle Lohse would be? His AA ERA is presently 12.00. Maybe we should keep Suppan in rotation for a spell longer.
I was just looking at his outing now underway. 4IP, 9H, 4ER. He’s at 65 pitches.
I like the term “co-ace”. For right now I believe that is what they are.
I wouldn’t say too much about Waino because TLR might get another bright idea and trade him too.
BirdTalk50—I don’t think TLR would trade Waino. I think he prefers to live a little longer.
BT50, good thing TLR isn’t the GM!
Tell that to Luddy Brian. He complains on Friday and is gone on Saturday.
Quote from Lohse in P-D Joe Strauss article today:
“. . .I should’ve brought my own balls.”
In the course of a season, how often do you think a player asks his manager why he isn’t playing more? IMO, people making a big deal out of the Ludwick and La Russa conversation like it is something unique and explosive either don’t understand or are looking for a reason to stir the pot.
The Lohse quote is interesting to say the least.
Colby asked about his playing time recently, but did not get traded. The trade had NOTHING to do with Ludwick’s conversation with TLR. It was a baseball and financial decision. Ludwick was making more than $5MM. Once a player makes that kind of money, he becomes enough of a financial factor, a team may trade him for financial reasons. Mo saved Ludwick’s career in 2007. Mo did not want to trade Ludwick. He had to.
On Lohse, this reminds me of Mulder’s minor league tuneups back in 2006. Everyone knew Mulder needed an operation. He was terrible in minor league rehab stats. But the Cards still gave him a couple of ML starts and he got walloped by the other team and booed by the fans.
Maybe Lohse and Suppan can become a piggyback tandem.
Rumors are that Cardinals are interested in Andy LaRoche.
All big league pitcher dread the AA start. Its where they keep the young and hungry hitters. If a pitcher needs to make a statement, he will use off speed and a higher frequency of breaking pitches than Lohse used. He will worry it. If you are a high dollar player on rehab, and your trying to establish health and stamina parameters, you need to work on the subtle pitches, sinker, cutter and the like. If the kids catch on to you, they will hammer you. This appears to be what happened.
By the looks of it, Lohse seemed to be fighting his tendency to overthrow. He IS stupid for talking to the press so candidly ……… of that I have no doubt. That is the negative sign. If he thinks that his teammates the the Cardinal PR apparatus is going to shush him back into a pennant race on a cream puff slide………..a ten year veteran isn’t acting like one.
Lineup: Lopez 3B, Jay RF, Pujols 1B, Holliday LF, Rasmus CF, Molina C, Skip 2B, Wainwright P, Ryan SS
Errors-10 Fielding Pct-.936 Batting Avg-.229 OBP-.290 Andy LaRoche
Errors- 8 Fielding Pct-.932 Batting Avg-.268 OBP-.345 Felipe Lopez
Hey 57, I am just the messenger.
Deep even breaths 57. Be reflective. You are easily the most important contributor here. Know the truth of that and share it with us.
Reds beat the Flubs 3-0
Westy, I knew that you would perfectly understand the voluminous statement made by the succinct comparison…
Yes I do 57…………………..
“The trade had NOTHING to do with Ludwick’s conversation with TLR. It was a baseball and financial decision.” Jumbo, you should not make factual statements without attribution, or Brian and a couple of the regulars will slap you in the head.
I know more than a few Cardinal players I’d like to slap in the head.
WC, no showing favorites, now…
The term baseball is all inclusive BB…………financial……is without question.
Tony has reacted to Colby’s self interested baseball performance by sliding Jay into his 2 hole. When will that boy learn………………….. Tony’s icing of Jay was aimed at exposing management a bit. Getting their greasy little fingers out of on field operations.
AP”s recent adjustments are so obvious………………and timed so interestingly across the weekend of the trade deadline………………..I can’t help but…………………..naaaaawwwww……….couldn’t be.!!!!!!!!!
BBUUUUTTTTT……….if it wasn’t coincidence………..it would be the most outstanding display of gamesmanship since the Spasky/Fisher matches in Reykjavik………… If he storms out now and grabs the world series…………..mythical being…… will not be an adequate title.
Concerning blingboy’s contention (# 21): With regard to postulations based on theories and conjecture, the one whose judgment we respect most here on The Cardinal Nation blog insisted that “…the Cards did not HAVE to do anything” and that, concerning the Cardinals’ budget, “We don’t have nearly enough knowledge of their books to make definitive statements” (read #17 – “Closing the Cardinals books on Ludwick”)
Lineup change—Miles instead of Skip. Skip has sore wrist.
I think he was sarcastically quoting the Shrimp 57…………… We know more than you might think about those books. Brian just loves the club house buffet.
Nah, the media is never anywhere near the players’ food.
Get a jersey on……put a towel over your had……….and eat some turkey.
Wow! I’m loving how the table was set and how the table was cleared!
Now that we’re hittin’ ‘em early, I hope that we hit ‘em often…
How ’bout Colby doin’ what Matt could not?
A foul-out is a helluva lot better than grounding into a DP…
Nolasco is going into the Marlins dug-out wondering if anyone got the license number of that truck…
I hate it when Molina comes to the plate……….pitcher on the ropes, and announces that he wants his share as Albert Jr……………man on 1st and 1 out….and he is cranking………..that’s punk.
Was that actually a fielder’s choice and not a missed DP?
After the 5 pitch walk, Adam has been throwing nothing but strikes!
A 14 pitch inning ain’t so bad, all things considered…
High chopper 57. HM had to let it go by thus the play was made a 2nd instead of first.
‘Preciate that, Westy. I’m “watching” blind on my trusty ESPN Gamecast…
Now, Brendan’s average is just .001 lower than that 3rd Baseman for the Pirates…
All three of our batters could have taken the counts deeper and made Nolasco work….
I would take that 3rd baseman in a NY minute 57……….his number are meaningless at this point. Can’t figure out why they are swing at Nolasco’s breaking pitch. He rarely throws it for a strike. If you can see it spinning let it go.
Adam pitched to Tracy’s weakness (.216 low and away) and it paid off
I wish that I had such batting savvy, Westy. As it is, I’m taking careful notes…
Sell a few maple leafs and get high speed 57. It worth it.
‘Twas a 10 pitch inning. Adam could… go… all… the… way!
I’m determined to do something like that, Westy! Whatever it takes…
Holiday looked like Charley brown trying to kick a field goal with Lucy holding it 57. It looks bad.
Hopefully, we’ll get some Matt-Lucy cooperation on this second trip through…
I had no idea that Jon Jay was that fast! The last hit was a bunt single!
I love it when Albert is selfish like he was in the first!
It’s good to see that Albert took the count deep. I am so glad that he didn’t ground into a DP and leave nothing on base for our Clean-up (who is busy arguing with Lucy)
Hey! Matt actually doubled and knocked in a run! The Marlins have to face our big guys at least twice more…
LaRoche wont help us.
That’s all right, Colby: You knocked Matt over to third…
Carioca, you are guilty of uttering an understatement!
Rasmus passes on the RBi………….Molina, in a frustrated power display, pulls off every single pitch. And strikes out on a ball in the dirt. He is claiming the lead for himself as an opportunity to boost his power numbers. Neither thought to pick up the double. ……………. Colby is not exactly a poker player………….Molina is saying its his right to feed his family………….neither avoiding the obvious.
‘Twas another 10 pitch inning. Adam definitely could… go… all… the… way!
CC, I bet LaRoche could help us one day out of every five. To bad we don’t have another prime right fielder handy.
Oops! I spoke one out too soon… my bad!
(So, it was 14 pitches, instead of 10)
Ramirez hits the seeing eye bunt…………Bonifacio attacks Lopez too……..these guys are players.
All right! We’ve got the makings of another big inning!
Attaboy, Adam!
Can you believe Brendan? This game is all about the Big Boppers and the small ballers giving our Ace what he deserves
Jon Jay is 3 for 3 unreal! Everyone in our lineup has contributed offensively!
Jay picks up the double. …………..very nice solution to that pitch…………….. no HR for him.
You would have enjoyed Brendan’s hit 57. Sweet swing, smoking line drive high off that big wall out in left.
…and to think that Albert has at least two MORE plate appearances tonight!
Wow! The mental imagery is breathtaking, blingboy! I am so happy for that guy: He is one fired-up ball of energy!
Jay is definitely a speedy table-setter: He can get an infield single, a bunt single or he can take the ball deep into his favorite spot in the outfield (left-center).
Pujols has relaxed………. he is in the drivers seat now. Makes me think we aren’t going to find a 3rd baseman……………………..Marlins pen has been worn out all week. They can punish this guy for 6 innings.
A 12 pitch inning! Adam’s 16th win could be a Complete Game Shut-out, taking his ERA down to just below 2.00!
STOP IT WESTIE! YOU ARE CONFUSING ME! Didn’t you just tell us a couple of days ago that trading Ludwick gave BD all the leverage? !!
At the start of this game, Nolasco had a decent ERA… I don’t think that he’s in a very good mood…
That “strike” was actually a bona fide ball – far out on the other side of the plate. Colby got cheated…
Yadier is definitely perfecting that opposite field blooper…
This 7 run cushion in the 5th inning sure feels good!
Strike three to Colby didn’t look too bad on TV 57. Good pitch, unhittable but too close to take with two strikes.
Colby gets caught back door………with two strikes…………… still looking to crank. Yadi takes to he-man cuts and then nicely fights off a jam shot……….doing what he should. That was a pitching mistake….forcing him to do the right thing. Waino was way over swinging in a route. That’s dangerous. If he doesn’t hurt himself……….they might just take offense and plunk him..
Westy is getting blasted with both barrels, two threads at once, wow.
The umpire is either a narrow-strike zone hitter’s umpire or else he is really sloppy tonight: 2 of those 4 straight “balls” were actually strikes!
Adam must have done something to anger the ump: NONE of the “either way” calls are going his way…
Now that Hayes has struckout, we need to demoralize ‘em with an inning-ending DP
That was Adam’s worst inning of the game (18 pitches), but short of 70 pitches after 5, he still could… go… all… the… way!
Waino hung one and Ramirez just missed. Phew!!!!
Ya gotta love a guy who wears his baseball trousers old school.
Most of the BP hasn’t worked since Monday or Tuesday. Someone will get some work tonight.
One would think Waiy could hit the shower early with a seven run lead. Save a little wear and tear. I believe he is on pace for career high innings. Our pen couldn’t possibly blow a seven run lead.
Although I would certainly like for Adam to get another CG, Carioca, you’re probably right…
My internet went out on me. Back now.
Yeah, that’s another thing, blingboy: I had not thought of either thing; the bullpen needing work and the fact that Adam certainly is heading towards a career high with innings pitched…
You would think the both Hawksworth and Boggs could use some low stress throws/
Adam is only 79 pitches after 6…
Look out, Marlins! Here come the 3 Boppers!
79………..if he gets a sub 10 they might let him see the 8th.
Badenhop is actually challenging our big guys
Thank you for getting that walk, Colby: Badenhop was making minced meat out of our boppers!
Can you believe that?
The other side of it is that he has a one hitter going.
Glad you’re back crdswmn.
A 4.50+ mediocre takes the mound; gets Albert to ground out and then proceeds to strikeout both Matt and Colby!
Colby is a victim of his his own agenda………….and a bad call………..the ump is trying to help him.
That strikeout now makes Colby odd man out against lefties……..that’s costly.
Adam is painting the outside edge, but the umpire is not giving it to him…
Back to the 3rd base issue. We sort of need Flip to lead off. He wouldn’t play second as much as he’s playing third, so who leads off? That is an arguement for going after, at most, a late inning defensive replacement type, without regard to offense. Do we have that guy in the system anywhere?
91 after 7… Do you think that he will go one more?
8th inning or not? I say let him go.
The closest thing is Gotay, but at 16 errors, he’s not close enough… LaRoche simply ain’t worth any bother…
Yah, Gotay is an emergency callup 3rd baseman. Second is his position, like Flip.
A little more muscle and a little less fatigue and that particular opposite fielder would have been a Yadier’s 5th home run…
The only other “solution” is no solution at all: Craig….
Mitey Miles has certainly been doing a bang-up job…
Miles lofted that one to the track in left center near the ’434 ft’ sign. Woulda been out anywhere else.
That’s twice tonight, that Adam has knocked a man from 2nd to 3rd…
BB………Tony wants them to make a commitment on another player for 3rd. They don’t want too. They don’t want Craig there either…………they are telling Tony not to push that saying they will find something………………and games go by…………….If they would take on a little salary, they could get one…………..Its happened before, in fact several time…..Lopez in 08 comes to mind.
20 wins for Adam, by the end of this month, is not far-fetched at all. Hell, he could get 23 or 24 by the end of a Cy Young season! His ERA is heading back down to below 2.00…
Let him go 9!
Albert stayed on top of another pitch up in the zone. Good sign.
I don’t see anything good coming from trying to do a waiver deal, Westy. A boneyard guy is all. Tell Crede if he fires Scotty we’ll give him the minimum.
2nd CG shutout for Waino.
I agree. we have to free up Lopez to keep Skip , Miles and Brendan from being over exposed. How long do you think it will be before Ryan starts another stash? And that’s the truth. Psycho.
is Tony putting tryint to get Waino a Cy award above the team?
CC, do you mean because of 110 pitches, number of innings, number of starts or what?
Tony was very active today……….especially early………..Jay responded beautifully to the first sacrifice.
He was starting runners, .the whole shebang…………….. he is trying to make them perform as a team.
The back door braking pitch strikeouts of Colby are kind of sad. They were so predictable, and such hangers, he could have doubled or better away on either one. …………………. Brian might want to collect the numbers concerning HR’s to salary in arbitration and beyond……….players know…agents tell them………………..Molina openly wants some for himself……….If he had the discipline to know when to do it and when its inappropriate, I have no problem……….I don’t see that….. Colby is lost in his career tactics. If Pujols gets hot……Colby will rue the day he gave up that 2 spot.
Brian, I was talking about getting him the complete game shutout instead of conserving his work load and getting the bullpen needed work.
I don’t think the pen is underworked. Looking ahead, they will see a bit of time Saturday and a lot on Sunday.
Brian, you are so negative!
Of course if you are right, the question is will they be sharp?
WC, Now I do enjoy the internet coaching but if you think those balls were strikes we need to get you a new flat screen
By the way WC, Colby went oppo with that first single
That ump’s strike zone was all over the place tonight. Waino got more K’s than he got credit for. And yes, those pitches to Colby were not strikes.
They were workable………………..says the ump……………they were immanently spoilable if nothing else.
It is the game………..his step in move is keeping him from dealing with that competitive scenario. How could he not expect that sequence RC…………its the game. When he has two strikes, he has to defend………………..he cycles in the same evaluative sequence…………he earns the confidence, and then he speculates with it………..he is too greedy. How and the hell can you nit pic with a relief pitcher with that much movement……………he isn’t going to give in……………if he thought he was, why not trash the cutter off the hands. You can’t cover it all. Sometimes you have to use all your resources, to get the single when you have lost the initiative…………………
20 of those short singles every year…………a 300 hitter is made of………….we need to have Jay and Colby smoking………………….if you really what AP to move on. He will break the collusion agreements if he hits 50 hr’s and bats 350…………………the big markets would become vulnerable if they didn’t bid for a super hero.
Great game. Jay with 3 hits, Albert puts it away with the old 3 run blast before the Marlins collect an out.