lynn-sanity in st. louis

On Saturday, the day after St. Louis announced that ace Chris Carpenter would open the season on the disabled list, former Ole Miss star Lance Lynn endured a rather rocky outing against the New York Mets. Lynn, likely to fill Carpenter’s spot in the rotation for the defending world champions, yielded four runs (three earned) in 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and allowed two home runs. In 15 2/3 spring innings, Lynn’s ERA is a solid 2.87. But suddenly he has a larger role and, along with it, more pressure to excel. The Cardinals don’t know how long Carpenter (nerve irritation in his right shoulder) will be out. Lynn was a starter at Ole Miss and in the minors, but the Cardinals used him mostly in relief when they brought him up last summer. In 18 appearances (just two starts), he notched a win, a save and a 3.12 ERA. The big right-hander also pitched very well in the postseason. A wild card in this Carpenter development might be unsigned free agent Roy Oswalt. The Weir and Holmes Community College product most recently has been linked to the Los Angeles Angels. But, remember, St. Louis was one of the teams he was said to be most interested in during the off-season. Might be something to keep an eye on.