Perhaps more than anything else, the Cardinals had it reaffirmed to them this year that they can't afford to count on injured pitchers, even a little.

When spring training began, they hoped that right-handers Chris Carpenter and Matt Clement and left-hander Mark Mulder all would be in the rotation by mid-season, if not before. Well, they were only one-third right, at best.

Carpenter, recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery, rejoined the rotation a couple of weeks after the All-Star break but lasted just three starts before encountering shoulder and nerve issues that basically shelved him for the rest of the season. Mulder made his first—and last start—on July 9 in Philadelphia and recorded one out before his shoulder acted up again. ...More