Mike Matheny confident about Chris Carpenter’s fitness
Weeks after Chris Carpenter was reported to have neck stiffness, the St. Louis Cardinals manager expressed his confidence on Saturday, March 17, that he will soon see the starter pitching for the team. This comes at a time when the Redbirds are battling injuries prior to the commencement of the regular season.
Chris Carpenter had a pitching session on Friday wherein he reportedly threw 30 pitches. The player, whose neck stiffness could be a harbinger of something perturbing coming the Cardinals way, seems in good shape to finally get on the mound.
The prominent feature of Friday’s workout for the team manager – Mike Matheny, was the distinct smile that Carpenter had. For him, it was a good sign. "You don't get a smile out of him often, so when he does flash one, it's a pretty good sign," Matheny said.
The starter is expected to have another pitching session on Sunday prior to the Opening Day game for which his name is already slated. As to whether he is fully fit to undertake that endeavour is not completely known at this point in time.
Chris Carpenter, however, had said he felt good after the Friday session.
"I felt good," Carpenter had said on Friday. "The neck feels good. My arm feels good. Hopefully, the next step [will be] either we do that again in a day or so, or we do some live [batting practice] to try and move it in the right direction."
Chris Carpenter apparently has some positives to share with the team. The fact that he did not have to undergo second MRI is a sign that augurs well for the Redbirds. Similarly, pitching on Friday comes as another good indicator of improvement.
The workout in the camp is an effort to help mitigate and effectively deal with the stiffness which could become an issue again. With such signs and developments, Chris Carpenter might well be set to be part of the 40-man roster without experiencing any problem.
It will, therefore, be worth watching how things work out in the days to come. The sooner Carpenter regains his fitness, the better it is for the Cardinals.
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