LOS ANGELES •Although he had been drilled in the right triceps by Clayton Kershaw less than 24 hours previous, third baseman Matt Carpenter was back in the Cardinals’ lineup Sunday night.
The training staff applied a pink pad, called “PolyMem,” a gelatinous membrane, and Carpenter said the swelling had been reduced considerably. Carpenter said he also had taken some anti-inflammatory medicine.
“It’s way better,” said Carpenter. “It’s stiff but yesterday I couldn’t do anything effectively. Today it’s not bothering me.”
Carpenter has helped beat Kershaw in a couple of postseason games over the last two seasons, leading to some conspiracy theories that the lefthander meant to hit him.