Carpenter Quickly Gets Past Pirates

Chris Carpenter disposed of the Pittsburgh Pirates so quickly, even he stole an occasional glance at the clock.

Carpenter pitched a three-hitter to beat the Pirates for the fourth time this season. The Cardinals’ 3-1 victory lasted only 1 hour 54 minutes, their shortest in more than four seasons.

“I’m just trying to go out there and attack as fast as I can,” Carpenter said. “I make them put the ball in play and let my defense help me out.

“When you make quality pitches, it doesn’t really matter what they’re going to do. If you’ve got your sinker going one way and your cutter going the other way and they don’t know which one’s coming, it’s going to be pretty tough.”

The Cardinals are 6-1 during a nine-game homestand to regain control of the Central Division. They have a five-game lead only eight games after they were in a virtual tie with Cincinnati.

Carpenter has dominated the Pirates in all four of his starts, yielding three runs in 30 innings, and is 9-1 in his career against them.