Elbow pain sidelines ace

~ Carpenter will miss a start after experiencing elbow inflammation.

ST. LOUIS -- Chris Carpenter will miss a turn in the St. Louis Cardinals' pitching rotation due to right elbow inflammation, though the team thinks its ace won't be out long.

Carpenter complained of soreness Monday, the day after he struggled in the season opener against the New York Mets. An examination by team physician Dr. George Paletta on Tuesday did not include an MRI, and Carpenter said he thought his elbow already had improved.

"I'm not a doctor, but I feel it's a little bit better," Carpenter said.

The Cardinals said Carpenter will be evaluated over the next three days.

"The first indication is there's a chance it'll be something that is not real serious," manager Tony La Russa said. "We're going to be real careful with it."

Carpenter allowed five runs in six innings during a 6-1 loss to the Mets on Sunday night. He has been the staff ace the last three seasons after missing most of the 2002 season and all of 2003 following shoulder surgery.

"Obviously, anytime something's going on it's No. 1 frustration, No. 2 disappointing and No. 3 I don't know if it's alarming or not," Carpenter said. "But I want to make sure it's OK.

"That said, everybody I've talked to, the doctors and trainers, are not alarmed. They're trying to make sure I know everything will be OK."

Carpenter had been slotted to pitch again Friday, jumping ahead of Adam Wainwright and Anthony Reyes to keep him on his regular routine despite two off days in the opening week.

Instead, Wainwright will pitch Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Houston and Reyes will start Saturday. Kip Wells, the team's new No. 2 starter, will start the finale of that series on Sunday. Wells made his debut with St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Carpenter was an All-Star in each of the last two seasons, going 15-8 last year after winning the NL Cy Young Award with a 21-5 record in 2005. He's the lone holdover from the rotation that opened last season for the World Series champions.

Carpenter said the elbow did not bother him during the game, and talked afterward about improving on his debut in five days. But by the time he got home Sunday night, swelling had begun to set in.