Chris Carpenter has expected return from start

On the date of July 13th when the St. Louis Cardinals declared the surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome was indeed season-ending for Chris Carpenter, it was utter-belief to everyone involved in Cardinal Nation.

Well, atleast everybody else aside from the man behind it all, Chris Carpenter himelf.

Despite him being major disappointed with the news, and the fact that he would miss a long period of the season at the very least, there was no doubt in his own mind that by the seasons end, he would be back out on that mound starting for the 2011 world series champs. 

"I knew all along that rehabbing from this surgery was going to be one of the hardest times in my baseball career," Carpenter said months after he started his assignments. "But at this point in my career, and as determined as I have been through it all, I knew I would be making an appearance back out on that mound."

Before the 37 year-old former Cy Young award winner even picked the ball up in Jupiter, Florida--many experts, fans around the league, and even myself included; had serious doubt that the St. Louis pitching icon would ever pitch again at all in the MLB.

Proudly, as remarkable and excellent as his work ethic is and has been, it's certainly no shock to hear or see him make a comeback. 

Last season in 2011, the year that this team made one of--if not the greatest--postseason comebacks that the history of the sport has ever seen or witnessed--Carpenter had an amazing game five complete-game shutout performance to beat Roy Halladay and the Phillies in the NLDS--and a season Carpenter finished the regular season with 273 1/3 innings pitched--which was his highest total in the previous three.

With all of the surrounding news around and surrounding the St. Louis Cardinals clubhouse and organization; news was leaking that Carpenter was supposed to get the start that Matheny gave to Lance Lynn in the Dodgers series opener on Thursday--but following the decision of not giving it to him on Thursday; Carp was given a 90-pitch simulated start tonight (results unknown yet) and if all goes well--he could and should be making his return next week against the Houston Astros.

While there hasn't been much good news surrounding our defending champions over a seemingly long amount of time--the fact that Chris Carpenter has worked this hard just to have an opportunity at a repeat of 2011; it sure does give all of Cardinal Nation something to hang our heads held high over.