With the NL Central finally becoming competitive, the St. Louis Cardinals could use all the help that they can get. The team received a bit of good news on that front on Monday, when starter Chris Carpenter revealed that he expects to begin throwing off a mound this week as rehab from a shoulder injury continues to progress. Carpenter has been sidelined since March, when he stopped throwing due to general shoulder weakness that made it difficult for him to lift his right arm above his head.

There is no concrete timetable for Carpenter's return, but he did tell reporters that his level of readiness at the moment is around where it would be at the start of spring training. The Cardinals are two games back of first in the NL Central, and recently put starter Jaime Garcia on the DL.

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