As the pitcher walked to the mound at Roger Dean Stadium Thursday, the Cardinals public address announcer introduced him as "the other Chris Carpenter."
During the seventh inning of St. Louis' 9-3 win over Boston, he nearly looked the part of St. Louis' former Cy Young Award winner, retiring three of the four batters he faced. But in the eighth inning, Carpenter struggled, walking three and yielding four runs.
"I think it was just too long of a stretch," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said of Carpenter. "First inning that we scored, we were there a long time and it was the first time he's pitched and I think he might be thinking how he did good and how he could do it again.
"He just never got in a rhythm. He threw nine straight fastballs before the breaking ball. Then it just got away from him."
Carpenter was ultimately charged with the loss. He tossed just one inning in Thursday's game against the defending champions, but the flamethrower did manage to reach 95 mph on the radar gun.
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