ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter, sidelined
since Opening Day by an elbow injury, threw a bullpen session
Saturday in the latest step in his rehab.
Carpenter
"He had a good throw, he felt fine," manager Tony La Russa
said. "The big key is tomorrow. We need to make sure he bounces
back the way he's supposed to."
Carpenter, a 15-game winner last year, began playing catch on
Tuesday after a two-week layoff. His session on Saturday was his
first off a mound since he encountered swelling a day after the
opener.
The Cardinals need to fill a hole in the rotation on Tuesday at
Milwaukee after optioning left-hander Randy Keisler, the fill-in
for three of Carpenter's starts, to Triple-A Memphis. But La Russa
reiterated that Carpenter would not be ready in time.
"He's got to come in tomorrow ready to go, and then you can get
serious about a program," La Russa said. "Best case is we're
going to be very careful and give him everything he needs."