Chris Carpenter To Rehab With Redbirds On Saturday

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The St. Louis Cardinals have announced that right-hander Chris Carpenter will join the Memphis Redbirds and start Saturday's 6:05 p.m. contest against the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Triple-A Astros) at AutoZone Park as part of a rehabilitation assignment.

Carpenter, who is currently on the Cardinals' 60-day disabled list recovering from back and shoulder ailments, is expected to throw up to 80 pitchers in his second start.

The 38-year-old tossed 54 pitches (38 strikes) in his first rehab start for Double-A Springfield on Monday at Hammons Field. He struck out five and allowed six hits, including one home run, for three runs (two earned) in 2 2/3 innings against the Arkansas Travelers. He started the game with a scoreless inning that included two strikeouts and a broken-bat single.

In 2005, he became the first Cardinals Cy Young Award winner since Bob Gibson in 1970, going 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA (76er/241.2ip) in 33 starts. That season, he hurled seven complete games, four shutouts, and a career-high 213 strikeouts.

Over his 15-year career, Carpenter is a lifetime 144-94 with a 3.76 ERA (927er/2219.1ip), 33 complete games, 15 shutouts, and 1,697 strikeouts. He has been an All-Star three times throughout his career (2005, '06, '10), and in 2005 became the first Cardinal since Rick Wise in 1973 to be named the starting pitcher for an All-Star Game.

In nine seasons as a Cardinal, Carpenter has gone 95-44 with a 3.70 ERA (460er/1348.2ip) in 198 career starts, winning 15 or more games in five of the six years in which he made at least 20 starts. He ranks third in Cardinals history with 1,085 strikeouts, trailing Dizzy Dean by 10. Entering the 2013 season, his .683 winning percentage as a Cardinal ranked 2nd all-time for St. Louis pitchers with at least 100 starts and best in all of Major League Baseball over the past nine seasons.

Carpenter has made four rehab starts for the Redbirds during the 2003 and '08 seasons in his career, going 0-1 with a 3.71 ERA (7er/17.0ip) and nine strikeouts.

He was originally drafted by Toronto in the first round (15th overall) of the 1993 MLB First-Year Player Draft and signed with St. Louis in December 2002.

Potential media opportunities with Carpenter have yet to be determined and will be released at a later time.

Ticket packages for Saturday's game are currently on sale. Call (901) 722-0299 or visit the Redbirds website at www.memphisredbirds.com to order or for more information.

About Memphis Redbirds Baseball Foundation: The Memphis Redbirds Baseball Foundation is the first and only not-for-profit charitable organization in the United States to own and operate a professional baseball franchise, the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. AutoZone Park - the finest ballpark ever built in the United States below the Major League level - is the home of the Redbirds and has served as the cornerstone of development in downtown Memphis. Incorporating the Memphis Redbirds as not-for-profit entity allows the community to own the team and facility. For the first time in history, Mid-South residents, corporate leaders and baseball fans are able to give back to the community - and at the same time enjoy first class entertainment - by supporting Memphis Redbirds Baseball.

About Global Spectrum: Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) manages the Memphis Redbirds, as well as more than 100 other public assembly facilities around the world. Nearly 20-million people attended more than 11,000 events in Global Spectrum venues last year. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Global Spectrum is part of Comcast-Spectacor, one of the world's largest sports and entertainment companies. Comcast-Spectacor also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities, Paciolan, the leading provider of venue establishment ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions, Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company, and Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks.