APRIL 22, 2021 • STLTODAY.COM
MATT CARPENTER #13 - DESIGNATED HITTER - ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
4 HR •
15 RBI •
.234 AVG
4 HR
15 RBI
.234 AVG
BenFred: If we're going to talk about Matt Carpenter's numbers, let's really talk about them The good, the bad and the ugly. Let's dig in deep on the slumping hitter's numbers this season and beyond.
Scherzer's 9 K's, Avila RBI double lift Nats past Cards 1-0
Max Scherzer struck out nine in six scoreless innings to move up to No. 21 on the career K's leaderboard, and Alex Avila drove in the game’s lone run with one of his two doubles, h...APRIL 21, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Takes seat Tuesday Carpenter is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Impact Tommy Edman will move from right field to second base while Carpenter heads to the bench for only the second time in seven games. With Tyler O'Neill (groin) and Harrison Bader (forearm) both on the injured list, Edman will be needed in the outfield more frequently in the short term, so Carpenter should see steady work at second base. The veteran is sitting on a .419 OPS and 35.9 percent strikeout rate through 39 plate appearances, but a 26.3 percent barrel rate and 68.4 percent hard-hit rate -- both which rank in the top one percent of all players -- suggest that better days could be ahead for Carpenter.
APRIL 20, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
DeJong hits 2 of Cardinals' 5 HRs in 12-5 win at Nationals
Paul DeJong hit two of the St. Louis Cardinals’ five homers in a 12-5 victory at the Washington NationalsAPRIL 20, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
St. Louis Cardinals: Matt Carpenter sounds off on struggles Matt Carpenter has become a punching bag for St. Louis Cardinals fans. His numbers - .069/.200/.372 in 29 at-bats - justify the fanbase's fr...
APRIL 19, 2021 • REDBIRDRANTS.COM
Cardinals fans are so freaking done with Matt Carpenter St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Matt Carpenter has had a year to forget, and the fans are really sick of his poor performances at the dis...
APRIL 18, 2021 • FANSIDED.COM
Nola pitches 1st 9-inning shutout, Phillies beat Cards 2-0
Aaron Nola struck out 10 and threw a two-hitter for his first nine-inning shutout in the majors, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-0 win over the St. Louis CardinalsAPRIL 18, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Back in lineup Carpenter will start at second base and bat fifth Sunday against the Phillies, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.
Impact Carpenter moved to the bench for Saturday's 9-4 win over the Phillies, but he'll be back in the lineup for the fifth time in six games Sunday. With Tommy Edman having logged more time in right field of late due to injuries to Harrison Bader (forearm) and Tyler O'Neill (groin), Carpenter appears to have seized hold of an everyday role at the keystone.
APRIL 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Smacks first homer Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored Tuesday against the Nationals.
Impact Carpenter started his second consecutive game at second base, with Tommy Edman shifting to right field to cover for several injuries. He managed only one hit, but made it count by taking Stephen Strasburg yard in the third inning for a two-run home run. It was Carpenter's first long ball of the season, and his first real production at the plate, as he entered the game having collected just one hit in his first 14 at-bats of the campaign.
APRIL 14, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Cardinals hammer Strasburg, rout Nats 14-3, end 3-game skid
Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Matt Carpenter all homered off Stephen Strasburg and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Washington Nationals 14-3APRIL 14, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Benjamin Hochman: Cardinals’ Carpenter finally gets a hit, but remains under the microscope In the third inning Monday on a cool, quiet night, Matt Carpenter walked to the plate without long sleeves or gloves. He settled into the le...
APRIL 14, 2021 • CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM
Schwarber debuts, leads Nats over Cardinals 5-2
Kyle Schwarber doubled in a run in his delayed Nationals debut, Andrew Stevenson had a pinch-hit homer and Washington beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2APRIL 13, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Molina HR, Carlson slam lead Cards over Marlins 7-0 & sweep
Yadier Molina hit a two-run homer and Dylan Carlson added a grand slam, leading the St. Louis Cardinals over Miami 7-0 for a three-game sweep that dropped the Marlins to 1-5 for th...APRIL 7, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Receives second straight start Carpenter will start at second base and bat fifth Wednesday against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Impact Cardinals manager Mike Shildt may have cut bait with the platoon of Justin Williams and Austin Dean in right field, as Tommy Edman will cover the position for the second day in a row. Edman's move to the outfield will open up the keystone for Carpenter, who picked up his first start in Tuesday's 4-2 win. He went hitless in three at-bats to continue his rough stretch at the plate that has lasted since spring training, but Shildt looks like he may give the veteran the chance to work his way out of the prolonged slump. Carpenter is helped by the fact that Williams and Dean have combined to go 0-for-17 with 10 strikeouts so far this season.
APRIL 7, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Matt Carpenter hitting fifth? Now that's a head-scratcher Ben Frederickson addresses the puzzling questions about the Cardinals, the Blues and Mizzou basketball.
APRIL 7, 2021 • QCTIMES.COM
Unraveling the Lane Thomas, Matt Carpenter and Andrew Knizner situations: BenFred's musings from Opening Day Cardinals fans had more questions about the players who weren't in the opening day lineup than those who were. Ben Frederickson takes a shot...
APRIL 2, 2021 • OLEANTIMESHERALD.COM
This Date in Baseball
This Date in Baseball-April 7APRIL 1, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
This Date in Baseball-Week Ahead
This Date in Baseball for April 3-9APRIL 1, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
How Justin Williams moved up and why Matt Carpenter hasn't been moved out Derrick Goold addresses the chasm between Cardinals management and a vocal section of the fan base over some roster positions.
MARCH 30, 2021 • OLEANTIMESHERALD.COM
Backup role awaits Cardinals manager Mike Shildt confirmed Sunday that Carpenter will begin the season as a reserve after Tommy Edman was named St. Louis' everyday second baseman, Jeff Jones of the B...
Impact St. Louis may have considered giving Edman more work in the corner outfield if Carpenter had swung a hot bat this spring, but that failed to materialize. Instead, the 35-year-old has gotten off to a 1-for-34 start to the Grapefruit League slate heading into Sunday's game against the Nationals, effectively ending any hope Carpenter had of beginning the season as a full-time player. Carpenter should still have a decent chance at cracking the lineup when the Cardinals are playing in an American League park, or when Edman, Nolan Arenado or Paul Goldschmidt require a day out of the field.
MARCH 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
St. Louis Cardinals: Matt Carpenter has nothing left to give The St. Louis Cardinals have spent the past couple of offseasons upgrading the corners of their infield. Those trades have also had an effec...
MARCH 26, 2021 • CALLTOTHEPEN.COM
Endures nightmarish spring Carpenter is hitting .033 (1-for-30) with one RBI, seven walks, 13 strikeouts and a run over 14 Grapefruit League games.
Impact Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Carpenter isn't in danger of missing out on the Opening Day roster despite his abysmal spring performance, especially considering he's due $18.5 million this coming season and the fact he isn't taking up a starting spot. Hummel also notes Carpenter's left-handed bat and defensive versatility are two other factors in his favor for the time being, but he adds it would naturally behoove the veteran to get off to a productive start after the type of spring he's had and in light of his pedestrian .216/.332/.372 line over the last two seasons.
MARCH 24, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Ready to run Matt Carpenter out of town? Hummel offers some perspective first Hall of Fame sportswriter Rick Hummel reminds fans that the Grapefruit League games don't count, and that veteran players are rarely dumped...
MARCH 23, 2021 • OLEANTIMESHERALD.COM
Diamondbacks' Gallen has sore forearm, might miss opener
The Arizona Diamondbacks might be missing their best pitcher on opening dayMARCH 23, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Amazin' at-bat: Mets' Guillorme draws 22-pitch walk vs Hicks
New York Mets backup Luis Guillorme had quite an at-bat in spring training SundayMARCH 14, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
