By Matt Snyder

ST. LOUIS -- We all knew Chris Carpenter had never made a start on three days' rest until Game 2 of the NLDS, and he had a bad outing. We all knew he entered Game 7 of the World Series as a 36-year-old pitcher who had thrown over 250 innings this year (regular and postseason combined). And then the first four hitters he faced reached base and the Cardinals trailed 2-0 before he even recorded an out.

Since then, however, he's settled in. Excluding those first four hitters, Carpenter has now thrown 3 2/3 innings and allowed just one hit while striking out four. He's still not as in control as usual -- two walks and a hit-by pitch so far -- but he's on short rest. That's to be expected.

It's 3-2 Cardinals, but things will likely change in a hurry. Stay tuned ...

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