Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter is down indefinitely with a nerve issue in his neck. We knew that. What we don't know is any sort of timetable as to his return to the hill in game action. General manager John Mozeliak gave some indication Friday morning on a St. Louis radio show:

"If Carpenter had to pitch today, he could pitch," Mozeliak said (via Tim McKernan on Twitter). "But he's just not comfortable. I'm optimistic that some time in May he'll be ready."

I'm not a Cardinals fan, so I can't judge how this might feel. But my best guess is that hearing an "optimistic" outlook for "some time in May" when we haven't even hit April yet isn't exactly confidence-inspiring. Factor in that Carpenter is 36 years old and threw 273 1/3 innings last season, including the postseason, and it's entirely possible he'll miss a significant chunk of the 2012 season.

It is worth noting that Mozeliak also told the radio station he doesn't believe this neck issue is a "long term problem." (via Tim McKernan on Twitter)

Lance Lynn will fill the vacated spot in the Cardinals rotation until Carpenter is ready to return. It's obviously a big step down, however, we have to keep in the mind the Cardinals lost Adam Wainwright for the season last spring and still won the World Series.

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