If Chris Carpenter felt he had something to prove on Tuesday night, he proved it and then some. In his return to Toronto, Carpenter tossed a complete-game, one-hit shut out in a 7-0 win for St. Louis. It was his first game in Toronto since he was cut by the Blue Jays in 2002.
Carpenter allowed a lead-off walk to Gregg Zaun in the third, but kept a no-hitter alive into the sixth inning until Russ Adams hit a two-out double. Carpenter finished the game by retiring the final ten batters he faced.
While Carpenter was practically holding the Blue Jays hitless, his teammates pounded the ball with 15 hits. Native Canadian, Larry Walker, had the biggest night at the plate for St. Louis. He went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI’s. Walker’s sixth home run of the season gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Later in the inning Reggie Sanders gave the Cardinals a 3-0 advantage with his 13th home run of 2005.
Walker blasted another two-run homer, his seventh, in the fifth inning and Albert Pujols did the same in the ninth inning. Pujols has 16 homers on the season.
Cardinals’ third baseman Scott Rolen will not play this weekend, but he will join the team as they face the Devil Rays on the road. He’s not expected to play until next week against the Reds. Rolen has been out with a left shoulder sprain since a collision with Dodgers’ third baseman Hee Seop Choi on May 11.
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