Cardinals 3B Matt Carpenter gets first day off in 2015 on Thursday
Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter was given his first day off of 2015, as he was held out of Thursday's starting lineup against the Cubs. Carpenter had started all 27 games so far for St. Louis, but he has just four hits in 22 at-bats this month, so manager Mike Matheny opted to give him a rest.
Mark Reynolds received the start at the hot corner and hit fifth on Thursday, while Jon Jay moved up to the leadoff spot in the order.
The team is playing their 17th straight game without a break on Thursday, and their next schedule off-day isn't until May 11. So Matheny thought it best to give his starting third baseman a breather.
"That's emotionally draining, physically draining," Matheny said, per FoxSports.com. "Some of these other guys have been stepping up big and got to keep them sharp."
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