St. Louis Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter benched as Carlos Beltran returns – NLCS Update
With the news that Carlos Beltran will return to St. Louis Cardinals’ line-up in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Friday, October 19, Matt Carpenter will be back on the bench as he made his sensational first appearance in this year’s post-season game.
Carpenter smashed a breathtaking two-run homer after the knee injury of Carlos Beltran that had culminated with his early exit from the game. His brilliant performance brought a majestic 3-1 victory for the Cardinals, giving them a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven games.
It was not limited to the heroics of Game 3 alone. In Game 4, Carpenter went on to score twice in Game 4, reaching base in each of three plate appearances which led to the team’s ultimate 8-3 win. This gave the Cardinals a 3-1 lead in the National League Championship Series.
Carpenter was excited with the performance that he had especially at a time when the leading player of the club was missing due to a knee injury. The whole post-season experience will remain memorable for him.
"This is crazy. I feel fortunate and excited and happy to be a part of it. It's awesome. We're really excited to be at this point,” said Matt Carpenter who had come to replace Carlos Beltran – a player with over 100 post-season games experience.
It is pertinent to mention that the rookie had a wonderful .294 average in 114 games that he had played with no less than 46 RBIs to his credit. With the post-season appearances, which were both amazing and emphatic, he has booked his place in the line-up now.
"It's a pretty strong statement with the lineup we have that there are days when we just know that he's going to be an impact bat for us," manager Mike Matheny said. "He's had a great season for us -- and the fact that we've had different guys go down, and he's able to step in no matter what we ask of him."
The St. Louis Cardinals are the current World Series defending champions, hoping they will cruise past the Giants to go up against the Detroit Tigers for the ultimate prize in baseball.
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