Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Losing DH gig to Luken Baker
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Carpenter is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Padres.
After going 1-for-12 with a home run and three walks over a stretch of five starts in six games, Carpenter's time as the Cardinals' primary designated hitter looks to have come and gone. He finds himself on the bench for a third straight game Thursday, with the Cardinals having faced right-handed pitchers in each of those contests. Luken Baker now looks to be St. Louis' preferred option at DH.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Not in Wednesday's lineup
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Carpenter is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Padres.
Carpenter made five starts at designated hitter in a six-game stretch but has now been out of the lineup for two games in a row against righties. San Diego's starter Wednesday, Joe Musgrove, has reverse splits this season, which likely factored into Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol's decision to go with Luken Baker at DH.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Picking up starts against righties
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Carpenter will serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and No. 8 batter in Monday's game against the Padres.
Carpenter has been the main beneficiary thus far of the Cardinals' decision to demote the struggling Nolan Gorman to Triple-A Memphis last Wednesday. With Gorman out of the mix, Brendan Donovan and Alec Burleson have been seeing most of their starts lately at second base and in left field, respectively, leaving the DH spot available for Carpenter. Though he'll be getting his fifth start in the Cardinals' last six matchups with right-handed pitchers, Carpenter has yet to do much with the opportunity. He's gone 0-for-11 with three walks over his last five contests.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Provides offense off bench
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Carpenter hit a two-run home-run as a pinch hitter in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Brewers.
Carpenter was activated earlier in the day after a minimum-length stay on the injured list due to a back strain. He's played in just seven games since the All-Star break, going 4-for-10 with two homers, five RBI and four runs scored in those contests. The 38-year-old is expected to remain in a bench role most of the time, while Alec Burleson and Willson Contreras continue to garner most of the at-bats at designated hitter. Carpenter is slashing .261/.336/.414 with four homers, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored, five doubles and no stolen bases over 125 plate appearances.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Returns from injured list
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The Cardinals reinstated Carpenter (back) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday.
The 38-year-old will end up missing only the 10-day minimum due to a back strain. Carpenter went 0-for-2 with two walks and two strikeouts in his lone start of August prior to landing on the shelf, and he's unlikely to see consistent at-bats for the Cardinals down the stretch.
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Shut down with back injury
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The Cardinals placed Carpenter on the 10-day injured list Monday with a lower-back strain.
Outfielder Jordan Walker was recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take Carpenter's spot on the 26-man active roster. Carpenter had played in just one of the Cardinals' first 10 games of August, though his lack of usage might have had more to do with his standing as a reserve designated hitter rather than because of the injury. Carpenter had served as a strong-side platoon option at DH for a brief spell from mid-June to early July, but his playing time had fallen by the wayside since outfielder Lars Nootbaar returned from the injured list, which bumped Alec Burleson back to DH.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Hits third homer
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Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Rangers.
Carpenter has essentially been a bench bat throughout July, and with the Cardinals looking to buy ahead of the trade deadline, his role may be further reduced down the stretch. The 38-year-old is slashing just .255/.322/.377 with three homers, 11 RBI, 11 runs scored and four doubles across 118 plate appearances this season. Alec Burleson and Willson Contreras continue to see most of the playing time at designated hitter, and Carpenter's in no position to challenge Paul Goldschmidt for first base.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Likely to lose playing time
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Carpenter is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.
Carpenter will hit the bench for a sixth consecutive game, with the Cardinals having faced left-handed pitchers in each of the last five contests. Though he had been seeing steady opportunities against right-handed pitching lately, the 38-year-old Carpenter will likely find himself on the bench more frequently after the Cardinals reinstated Lars Nootbaar (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Monday. With Nootbaar expected to take back an everyday role in right field, Alec Burleson should replace Carpenter as the Cardinals' primary designated hitter.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Sitting again versus lefty
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Carpenter is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.
The lefty-hitting Carpenter finds himself on the bench for the fifth game in a row while the Cardinals have opposed four consecutive left-handed starting pitchers. With Carpenter riding the pine, Willson Contreras will get a day off from catching and will serve as St. Louis' designated hitter while Pedro Pages settles in behind the dish.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Idle vs. lefty Saturday
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Carpenter is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals.
Carpenter will begin Saturday's contest in the dugout with Washington sending southpaw MacKenzie Gore to the mound. Paul Goldschmidt will serve as the designated hitter and hit in the cleanup spot.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Out of St. Louis lineup
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Carpenter is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Pittsburgh.
The Cardinals are giving Brandon Crawford a start in the designated hitter spot. Carpenter had started the first game of the series against the Pirates, going 1-for-5 with a run scored.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Hitting bench in series finale
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Carpenter is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Carpenter had gone 3-for-6 with a double, a walk, two runs and two RBI while starting in each of the Cardinals' previous three matchups versus righties, but he'll take a seat Sunday even as Cincinnati brings righty Hunter Greene to the mound. Though the Cardinals still seem to view Carpenter as their primary designated hitter against righties, he'll head to the bench any time manager Oliver Marmol wants to give one his other everyday players a day out of the field. Willson Contreras will cede catching duties to Pedro Pages on Sunday while he replaces Carpenter at DH.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Not starting against southpaw
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Carpenter isn't in the Cardinals' lineup for Thursday's game versus the Reds, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
St. Louis will match up against left-handed starter Andrew Abbott on Thursday, so the lefty-hitting Carpenter will step out of the lineup. Willson Contreras will take over as the DH while Pedro Pages starts at catcher and bats ninth.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Sitting during nightcap
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Carpenter isn't in the Cardinals' lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Atlanta.
Carpenter went 1-for-1 with a single and a sacrifice fly during a loss in Game 1, and the Cardinals will give him a breather to conclude Wednesday's activities. Willson Contreras will instead serve as St. Louis' DH while Pedro Pages starts behind the plate.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Playing time trending up
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Carpenter will serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and No. 7 batter in Monday's game against Atlanta.
After he was excluded from the lineup for a stretch of six consecutive games from June 12 through 17 while the Cardinals faced four lefty starters and handed starts to Nolan Arenado and Masyn Winn at DH in the other two matchups with righties, Carpenter will now get his sixth start in a row. He's earned a more stable spot in the lineup against righties after going 6-for-16 with a double and a walk over the previous five games. The lefty-hitting Carpenter should continue to sit regularly versus lefties, however.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Losing out on DH starts
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Carpenter is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The lefty-hitting Carpenter finds himself on the bench for the fifth game in a row, with St. Louis having faced three lefties and two righties during that stretch. Though he appeared headed for a regular role at DH versus righties after Lars Nootbaar (oblique) was placed on the injured list May 31, Carpenter seems to have fallen out of favor after mustering a .130/.200/.261 slash line through his first eight games of June. The Cardinals may just prefer to rotate a number of regulars at the DH spot rather than settling on a primary option.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Not in St. Louis lineup
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Carpenter is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates.
Carpenter has been seeing most of the starts in the designated-hitter spot for the Cardinals versus righties since Lars Nootbaar (oblique) went on the injured list, resulting in Alec Burleson playing regularly in right field. However, Carpenter will begin Thursday's contest on the bench against right-hander Mitch Keller. Nolan Arenado will serve as St. Louis' DH while Jose Fermin replaces Arenado at third base.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Out against lefty
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Carpenter is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
The lefty-hitting Carpenter will hit the bench Wednesday while the Pirates bring southpaw Bailey Falter to the hill. With Carpenter taking a seat, Alec Burleson will get a day out of the outfield and serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter while Dylan Carlson steps in as St. Louis' starting right fielder.
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Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Clubs homer in loss
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Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Rockies.
Carpenter got the Cardinals back within a run with his seventh-inning blast, but they couldn't build on it. Both of his homers this season have come over his last nine games. The designated hitter is at a .200/.294/.317 slash line with five RBI, six runs scored, one double and no stolen bases through 68 plate appearances. Carpenter has seen steadier playing time at designated hitter with Alec Burleson filling in as an outfielder due to the absence of Lars Nootbaar (oblique).
