Chris Carpenter looked like a human pitcher on three days' rest in the first inning of his Game 7 start in the 2011 World Series, but that was exactly as much time as it took him to turn back into Chris Carpenter. Despite an arm that's pitched more than 270 innings this year the St. Louis Cardinals' ace mowed down the Texas Rangers over the next five innings, striking out five and allowing just the two runs in a six-inning, 91-pitch monument to his refusal to accept age or injury as the answer to any question about his effectiveness.
Pulled to a standing ovation after an inning-opening ground rule double, Carpenter's last crisis was averted when Arthur Rhodes and Octavio Dotel retired the next three batters to end the seventh inning for the Rangers.
The Cardinals have Edwin Jackson, Kyle Lohse, and their compliment of bullpen guys (likely minus Fernando Salas) available for the last two innings of regulation. Lance Lynn and Jason Motte look like the likely candidates as of the bottom of the seventh inning.