Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter had flown to St. Louis to have his balky neck examined, and the news that came out of the trip was quite good for him and the Cardinals. Once feared a nerve issue -- that could have ended his career -- Carpenter's malady is actually a bulging cervical disc.

"When you're thinking of what could have been some really bad (stuff), we can take care of this and move on," Carpenter said (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

Carpenter's throwing program has yet to be determined, but pitching coach Derek Lilliquist said the right-hander can break camp with the club if he faces hitters by March 20.

Carpenter, 36, told the Post-Dispatch that his issue is "waves of weird pain I had never experienced before." He said he was not concerned about making the opening-day roster.

Carpenter was 11-9 with a 3.45 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 191 strikeouts in 237 1/3 innings last season. He made six postseason starts, including three in the World Series, where he went 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA and won the decisive Game 7.