ST. LOUIS — On the day he pitches, Chris Carpenter can be an ornery cuss. He prowls the mound, barks at hitters, and on at least one occasion has been known to invite a basepath collision.
Though just an 11-game winner for the St. Louis Cardinals, the 36-year-old right-hander has been in dominating mode since midseason. Apparently in the Milwaukee Brewers’ heads too, heading into a matchup of aces in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series tonight against 17-game winner Yovani Gallardo.
“Yo has been our best guy. He loves being in these situations,” Brewers leadoff man Corey Hart said. “It’s our guy against their guy. Both are best guys.”
Carpenter mixed it up with volatile Nyjer Morgan in September and was labeled a “phony” by Brewers pitcher Zack Greinke before the series.
Nothing phony about the results.
Carpenter pitched a complete-game shutout against Milwaukee in September, helping fuel an improbable drive for the wild-card berth. He’s coming off a career signature moment, a three-hit shutout against Roy Halladay that eliminated the favored Phillies in the division series.
Carpenter has been clutch throughout his career in the postseason too, going 6-2 with a 2.94 ERA. He dismisses Greinke’s assessment.
“He doesn’t know me, he’s never been a teammate of mine, he can say what he wants,” Carpenter said. “Every year, and every round of the playoffs, there’s distractions all around. It can go from family stuff, clubhouse stuff, opponents, friendships, whatever it is. If you can’t eliminate that on your day, you’re going to have extra trouble.”
The Brewers were on their best behavior Tuesday, skirting the issue of bad blood.
Making a reference to Greinke’s battle with social anxiety disorder, manager Ron Roenicke said the pitcher’s comments were “no big deal” and told reporters, “You guys know Zack, and you know what he’s going to say when you ask questions.”
Morgan, who flung a wad of chewing tobacco at Carpenter in a shouting match in early September and ridiculed the Cardinals on Twitter, had nothing to say. He politely declined interview requests Tuesday, saying only “Nope.”
