When St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter was battered around by the visiting San Francisco Giants on Tuesday evening, allowing 11 hits and six runs in five innings, his ERA on the season jumped to 2.42.
In a remarkable past display of consistency, it also was the first time in the 2009 season -over his last 11 outings – that Carpenter allowed more than six hits and three runs.
His ten-game streak of allowing six or fewer hits was the longest amassed by any Cardinals pitcher since at least 1954. Only two others, Brooks Lawrence (1955) and Todd Stottlemyre (1998) ran nine such games together.
To underline how difficult the feat was, Hall of Famer Bob Gibson’s longest streak was just eight games. Interestingly, it was not in his dominating 1968 season, “The Year of the Pitcher”. Instead, it occurred in 1962.
Cardinals starting pitchers streak – allowing six hits or fewer (1954-2009)
StreakStart | Streak End | G | W | L | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
Chris Carpenter | 4/9/2009 | 6/25/2009 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 65.2 | 37 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 48 | 3 | 1.78 |
Todd Stottlemyre | 3/31/1998 | 5/11/1998 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 62.2 | 42 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 58 | 5 | 3.02 |
Brooks Lawrence | 4/12/1955 | 7/4/1955 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 35 | 35 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 19 | 5 | 5.91 |
Bob Gibson | 4/16/1962 | 5/22/1962 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 58.1 | 34 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 52 | 5 | 3.09 |
Rick Ankiel | 4/9/2000 | 5/13/2000 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 27 | 15 | 13 | 31 | 36 | 5 | 2.85 |
Jose DeLeon | 4/6/1992 | 5/11/1992 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 41.2 | 31 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 26 | 2 | 3.46 |
Nelson Briles | 4/11/1970 | 6/13/1970 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 19.1 | 29 | 21 | 21 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 9.78 |
Anthony Reyes | 5/20/2006 | 7/8/2006 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 25 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 26 | 6 | 3.86 |
Rick Ankiel | 4/8/2001 | 5/10/2001 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 25 | 21 | 19 | 25 | 27 | 7 | 7.13 |
Juan Acevedo | 5/16/1999 | 6/12/1999 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 26 | 19 | 18 | 9 | 13 | 6 | 5.40 |
Andy Benes | 4/28/1997 | 5/24/1997 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 32 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 35 | 2 | 2.93 |
Mike Morgan | 5/18/1996 | 6/16/1996 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 35.2 | 28 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 7 | 4.04 |
Donovan Osborne | 4/8/1993 | 5/5/1993 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 29 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 5 | 3.44 |
Jose DeLeon | 4/5/1989 | 5/1/1989 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 50.1 | 26 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 38 | 5 | 1.61 |
Silvio Martinez | 4/13/1980 | 5/24/1980 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 25 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 1 | 3.60 |
In terms of allowing three or fewer runs over those ten games, Carp fell short of the top mark by a Cardinals pitcher this decade. Woody Williams had a twelve-game streak to open the 2002 season.
Still, Carpenter’s feat is notable as it is tied for the 13th-longest anywhere in Major League Baseball this decade. The high-water mark of 15 consecutive games allowing three or fewer runs was set by the Reds’ Edinson Volquez this season.
MLB starting pitchers streak – allowing three runs or fewer (2000-2009)
Tm | StreakStart | Streak End | G | W | L | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
Edinson Volquez | CIN | 4/6/2008 | 6/20/2008 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 93.1 | 65 | 20 | 18 | 44 | 108 | 2 | 1.74 |
Brandon Webb | ARI | 4/27/2003 | 7/8/2003 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 69 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 72 | 6 | 2.20 |
Pedro Martinez | BOS | 4/4/2000 | 6/20/2000 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 99.1 | 56 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 130 | 6 | 1.18 |
Josh Johnson | FLA | 5/4/2006 | 7/8/2006 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 60 | 23 | 16 | 33 | 64 | 5 | 1.95 |
Woody Williams | STL | 4/5/2002 | 7/6/2002 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 76.2 | 58 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 59 | 9 | 2.35 |
Pedro Martinez | BOS | 4/2/2001 | 6/4/2001 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 87 | 59 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 131 | 3 | 1.66 |
Erik Bedard | SEA | 4/7/2009 | 6/7/2009 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 65.2 | 54 | 20 | 18 | 22 | 65 | 6 | 2.47 |
Joba Chamberlain | NYY | 6/3/2008 | 7/30/2008 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 60.2 | 52 | 18 | 15 | 23 | 69 | 2 | 2.23 |
Jeremy Guthrie | BAL | 4/24/2007 | 6/26/2007 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 77.2 | 51 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 53 | 5 | 1.74 |
Jorge Sosa | ATL | 6/14/2005 | 8/7/2005 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 53 | 15 | 15 | 26 | 45 | 6 | 2.25 |
Roger Clemens | HOU | 4/8/2005 | 5/30/2005 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 45 | 12 | 11 | 20 | 76 | 3 | 1.30 |
Tim Redding | HOU | 4/5/2003 | 5/29/2003 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 61.2 | 64 | 24 | 23 | 28 | 37 | 5 | 3.36 |
Chris Carpenter | STL | 4/9/2009 | 6/25/2009 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 65.2 | 37 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 48 | 3 | 1.78 |
Zack Greinke | KCR | 4/8/2009 | 5/26/2009 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 75 | 54 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 81 | 0 | 0.84 |
Francisco Liriano | MIN | 5/19/2006 | 7/8/2006 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 36 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 70 | 4 | 1.36 |
Brad Penny | LAD | 4/4/2006 | 5/23/2006 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 58.1 | 52 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 45 | 2 | 2.31 |
Jake Peavy | SDP | 4/6/2004 | 7/2/2004 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 57 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 59 | 3 | 1.98 |
Brad Penny | FLA | 4/7/2004 | 5/27/2004 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 51 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 57 | 7 | 2.12 |
Thanks to Tom Orf for the data pulls.