Cardinals shut down Carpenter, Ankiel for rest of season

Sep 13, 2008 - 3:47 PM PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- The St. Louis Cardinals have decided to shut down both righthander Chris Carpenter and outfielder Rick Ankiel due to nagging injuries.

Carpenter had his disappointing season come to an abbreviated end due to a muscle strain in the back of his right shoulder, limiting him to just three starts and four appearances.

A blossoming middle-of-the-order hitter, Ankiel has been sidelined due to a lower abdominal issue that has been diagnosed as a sports hernia. He will require surgery to repair the injury.

Unable to make his debut this season until July 30 due to "Tommy John" surgery, Carpenter made two solid starts before leaving his third with the shoulder injury, forcing him to be placed on the disabled list. He was moved to the bullpen upon his return, but could only pitch an inning on September 2.

"I truly don't even know what to say," Carpenter said Friday night. "I have no explanation. I can't explain it. The only feeling I had is that I'm disappointed and frustrated and everything else you can think of."

Along with his shoulder issue, the 33-year-old righthander also has some nerve irritation in his shoulder that the Cardinals say is not related to his reconstructive surgery or previous nerve issue that sidelined him in 2004.

"There's a nerve issue that is a concern, but I don't get the feeling that in '09 it should be a huge issue," St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said.

The 2005 National League Cy Young winner, Carpenter has made just four starts and five appearances since making five starts in the 2006 postseason.

Bothered by his abdominal injury for the past seven weeks, Ankiel saw a specialist on Friday, receiving an injection and giving the club a strong indication that he will undergo the surgery. The recovery time is expected to be about five weeks.

Ankiel originally suffered the injury in an extra-inning win over the New York Mets on July 26. The 29-year-old has struggled to play through it, batting just .169 (11-for-65) in limited time since.

"It's no surprise, because he has been a long time with it and has not really improved," manager Tony La Russa said. "He hasn't been pushing it, but he keeps continuing to feel it, so there's something there."

In his first full season with the Cardinals, Ankiel has become a strong complement to MVP candidate Albert Pujols, hitting .264 with 25 home runs and 71 RBI in 120 games.