FORT MYERS, Fla. -- All day, reports about the Red Sox' acquisition of Chris Carpenter were careful to draw the distinction between this Carpenter and the Chris Carpenter who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Once fans see this Chris Carpenter pitch, there'll probably be no mistaking him for the pitcher who won the N.L. Cy Young Award in 2005.
One National League scout who saw the Red Sox' Chris Carpenter throw in both the minors and the big leagues said the right-hander was "a solid bullpen arm, but not anyone with the stuff to close."
Said another veteran evaluator: "He's not a bad guy to have in the sixth or seventh innings. But I'm not sure he's ever going to be more than that."
Carpenter appeared in 10 games last season with the Cubs, pitching 9 23 innings, all in relief and compiled a 2.79 ERA. In part of three minor-league seasons, he appeared in 96 games -- 60 in relief, with 36 starts -- and had a 3.42 ERA.