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With the news coming down today that Chris Carpenter will likely miss the entire 2013 season, the Cardinals rotation suffered a major setback.It was expected that Carpenter would return to form in 2013 and be a co-anchor with Adam Wainwright. This latest setback will most likely end Carpenter's career. With Carpenter being lost, the Cardinals are going to have to replace an expected 15-18 wins in the rotation.  It is a good thing the current Cardinal roster is filled with the talent to possibly fill those shoes.In addition to quality starting-pitching talent lining the roster, the Cardinals could also look to free agency to fill the void left by Carpenter.One thing is certain, John Mozeliak is already evaluating all his options—with his track record of success, chances are he'll makes the right call.The Cardinals organization, the fans and baseball in general will miss Chris Carpenter.  When healthy, Chris Carpenter's stuff is ...

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Today the St. Louis Cardinals consider themselves in the same place they were at the beginning of 2012—not expecting ace pitcher Chris Carpenter to throw a pitch. In a Tuesday afternoon press conference, general manager John Mozeliak, accompanied by manager Mike Matheny, made the announcement.  Mozeliak said Chris Carpenter has experienced renewed discomfort in regard to the condition that cost him most of 2012. Carpenter contacted the Cardinals on Friday of last week and informed the team that after numerous attempts at throwing bullpen sessions. He was experiencing the same issues with some additional quirks. Mozeliak reported Carpenter has experienced bruising and redness in his shoulder and hand after throwing. Carpenter was diagnosed in 2012 with thoracic outlet syndrome. He underwent mid-season and made a rather improbable comeback in time to pitch in the playoffs. As recently as the Winter Warm-up, Carpenter told reporters that he ...

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter's 2013 season is likely already over, but one has to wonder whether we've seen the last of him on a Major League mound after his latest shoulder-related setback.Citing a recurrence of shoulder numbness, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak announced on Tuesday that Carpenter was "very unlikely" to pitch for the team in 2013, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.It was a similar shoulder injury that was caused by rare a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome in 2012, which limited Carpenter to just three regular season starts. While no definitive statements were made on the 37-year-old's career outlook, Mozeliak did not seem too optimistic.When asked whether he expected to see Carpenter pitch again, Mozeliak responded in the negative."It's very unlikely. So, no," said Mozeliak (per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).Carpenter was not made available for Tuesday's press conference, so it's hard to ascertain what his mindset currently is. But perhaps the most ...

On April 27, Chris Carpenter will turn 38 years old. His major league career appears to be on its final legs, but on Tuesday Cardinal fans found out that the retirement may come sooner rather than later.It was reported by Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak on Tuesday that Carpenter is still feeling discomfort in his arm and it is "very unlikely he will pitch in 2013."Now the question is: Will we ever see Carpenter pitch again?Carpenter only started three games at the end of last season for the Cardinals. In those games, he went 0-2 with a 3.71 ERA and had 12 strikeouts. He missed the majority of the season because of nerve damage in his arm.Carpenter has had a history of arm problems in the past as well. He had to have Tommy John surgery after hurting his arm on opening day in 2007. He missed all the rest ...

The Cardinals announced on Tuesday afternoon that Chris Carpenter would miss the 2013 season after a recurrence of shoulder problems. Carpenter missed the bulk of 2012 with a shoulder issue that was said to be corrected by surgery. The evidence and Carpenter's injury history suggests that he will miss all of 2013 and could be done, period.Carpenter had surgery to repair thoracic outlet syndrome in July, resulting in the removal of a rib to open up space in the area. This surgery is not uncommon for pitchers or other people with overhead, repetitive motions. (The occupation that most often has this issue? Carpenters, ironically, due to the hammering they do.) No other pitchers that have had this type of surgery have had significant setbacks of this type. That said, no other pitcher who has had this surgery has the long list of ailments that Carpenter has dealt with throughout his career. ...

The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Tuesday that Chris Carpenter "can't continue to throw" and will likely miss the entire 2013 season, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.General manager John Mozeliak says that Carpenter will seek medical attention regarding the discomfort he feels when throwing.There have been no statements regarding a possible retirement for Carpenter, though the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a story Tuesday morning regarding the possibility. If he were to retire, he would have to forfeit the $12.5 million salary he's earned in 2013.Carpenter made just three regular season starts (and three postseason starts) in 2012 after battling shoulder injuries all season long.When healthy, Carpenter has been amongst the best pitchers in baseball. That's been the problem over the entirety of his major league career, though, as staying healthy hasn't been so easy for the 37-year-old.Just yesterday, we saw Brandon Webb, another former Cy Young winner, hang up ...

It is a familiar story, but once again, injuries have derailed a season for Chris Carpenter.St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak announced on Tuesday that the veteran is unlikely to pitch at all in the upcoming season.Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the news on Twitter:Carpenter missed most of last year with various injuries, but returned for three starts at the end of the regular season. The team had enough faith in the veteran to give him three starts in the playoffs as well.Although he had a 1-2 record in the postseason, his 2.63 ERA helped keep his team in games.Now, it appears that he will once again be on the sidelines while his team plays the majority of the season.When healthy, Carpenter has been one of the top pitchers in baseball during his time in the majors. He started his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, but ...

The St. Louis Cardinals had already called RHP Chris Carpenter's season over. He was shut down for the season by surgery to correct his thoracic outlet syndrome.The idea was that hopefully by spring training he would be back to his old self following an intense regimen this winter that would have him presumably back to normal.That was the plan less than three weeks ago. Plans change.Once Carpenter was first able to begin resuming baseball activities, it felt good. He threw more and kept feeling good—a sensation he hadn't had in quite some time.He felt so good, in fact, that rumors began to fly about whether he could throw again this season.After several simulated games and bullpen sessions, Carpenter on Monday was believed to still be a simulated start away from making his return to the big leagues.As Cardinals fans have already learned in the Carpenter capers of 2012, plans can ...

The St. Louis Cardinals hold a half-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League wild card race and adding Chris Carpenter to their starting rotation for the duration of the season would provide a major boost.Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told MLB.com reporter Jennifer Langosch this in regard to his recovering veteran right-hander:Given the guys we have now in our bullpen, you can see some sort of piggyback scenario if it worked out that way. He has to build up his pitch count. Given the fact he hasn't been able to throw much prior to surgery, he does feel good. It looks like he's on track to contribute. We're hopeful that's what happens.Prior to that, the report mentions that Carpenter must get to approximately 90 pitches in simulated game action in order for Mozeliak and the Cardinals to be comfortable with this possibility.Carpenter's ...

The St. Louis Cardinals should still be viewed as serious contenders in the second half of the 2012 MLB season despite the loss of Chris Carpenter. While the loss of any team’s co-ace starting pitcher is a huge blow, the Cardinals have already shown this year that they have what it takes to weather the storm. In Carpenter’s absence, the team has put together an impressive first half. With as many as seven key players on the disabled list at once, the Cardinals pushed through a tough May and a tougher early June to find themselves only 2.5 games out of first place and six games over .500 at the All-Star break. Given the Cardinals’ tough schedule in June and the problems they faced, they could easily be much farther down in the standings. Following are four reasons the Cardinals will still be legitimate contenders without Carpenter.Begin Slideshow