St. Louis Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter recently resumed throwing from the mound, and since then the results of his workouts have been encouraging.

Carpenter, still less than two weeks from returning to the mound, said that he prefers to downplay the possibility but acknowledged that early indications are overwhelming positive. After staying off the mound for three months while strengthening a problematic right shoulder through rest and rehabilitation, Carpenter has worked three side sessions since Wednesday. He mixed in breaking balls in his second session last weekend and added to his workout Monday prior to a high school all-star game played at Busch Stadium.

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According to Joe Strauss, Carpenter could be throwing pitches to live hitters as early as this weekend. The team is still unable to offer a specific timeline for Carpenter's return.

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