Arizona @ St. Louis preview
Busch Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jun 13, 2010 ) St. Louis 5, Arizona 7
There was a time that a pitching matchup between Dan Haren and Chris Carpenter would generate headlines.
The two right-handers have been among the top hurlers in baseball when it comes to winning, pitching deep into games and shutting down opposing offenses.
While Carpenter has held up his end of the bargain so far this season, Haren ... well, that's a different story.
The two will meet on Monday as the Arizona Diamondbacks face the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
As his numbers attest, Carpenter has been dominating all season. He's lost only once - on May 13 vs. the Houston Astros - in 16 starts. The right-hander has failed to pitch six innings one time - on April 11 against the Milwaukee Brewers - and has tossed at least seven innings in 10 starts.
Carpenter is coming off an outstanding start against the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched eight shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out seven in a 1-0 win.
The one thing Carpenter hasn't been able to do this season is defeat the Diamondbacks. He's started two games in Arizona and had no-decisions in both, allowing six earned runs and striking out 18 in 13 innings. Carpenter is 4-0 with a 2.36 ERA against the Diamondbacks in his career.
While Carpenter has flourished, Haren has struggled. His winning record isn't indicative of how he's pitched. The right-hander has allowed 19 home runs and is tied with Baltimore's Kevin Millwood for the major league lead in that dubious category. Hitters have been getting good swings against Haren, who has permitted 121 hits in 108 1/3 innings.
Haren has lost his last two starts and has won only two of the last six times he's taken the mound.
He has, however, won both of his starts against the Cardinals this season. Haren allowed seven runs and nine hits in a 9-7 win on April 20, a game in which he went 4-for-4 at the plate. Haren pitched much better in a 7-2 victory on June 12, allowing two runs and six hits in eight innings.
The teams have split six games, all of which were played at Arizona. The Cardinals took two of three in April before the Diamondbacks took two of three earlier this month.
The Diamondbacks are coming off a good weekend in Tampa Bay, where they also took two of three from the Rays. Edwin Jackson pitched a no-hitter Friday night in a 1-0 victory. Arizona lost on Saturday, but bounced back for a 2-1 win Sunday.
The Cardinals struggled in Kansas City, losing two of three to the Royals.