• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Carpenter returns as Cardinals take on depleted Braves

Jul 30, 2008 - 10:16 AM St. Louis (60-49) at Atlanta (49-57), 7:00 pm EDT

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- A pitching reinforcement returns to the surprising St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.

Chris Carpenter will take the mound for the first time in nearly 16 months as the Cardinals continue a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves.

The 33-year-old righthander last pitched on Opening Day in 2007 against the New York Mets, when he complained of discomfort in his pitching arm after throwing six innings. He eventually underwent elbow ligament replacement surgery last July.

Carpenter (NR) won the 2005 National League Cy Young Award and is a two-time All-Star.

Aside from dropping the second game of the series, the Braves had a busy day on Tuesday by taking part in a trade that had everyone in baseball talking. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim acquired first baseman Mark Teixeira for fellow first baseman Casey Kotchman and prospect rigthhander Steve Malek - a deal triggered by teams going in opposite directions.

While the Angels have their sights set on playing deep into October, the Braves are fading quickly in the NL East and appear to be heading toward an inevitable rebuilding period.

Kotchman, who is batting .287 with 12 homers and 54 RBI , will provide depth in the infield and is a proven major league-ready player.

Jair Jurrjens (10-5, 3.02 ERA), who has been one of the lone bright spots for Atlanta, will take the mound with hopes of holding his opponent to one run or less for the sixth time in eight outings.

The 22-year-old righthander was part of the package that the Detroit Tigers sent to Atlanta for Edgar Renteria in October of 2007.

St. Louis used a five-run ninth on Tuesday to walk away with an 8-3 win one night after posting a convincing 12-3 victory.