CHICAGO -- First baseman Matt Carpenter hopes to be back in the Cardinals' lineup on Monday after exiting Sunday night's game with cramping in his right quadriceps.
Carpenter was replaced by rookie Luke Voit in the bottom of the second inning of a 5-3 loss to the Cubs, after alerting the medical staff to tightness in the leg. Carpenter noted that the issue could have been related to his run around the bases in the first inning when he tried to score from first on Jedd Gyorko's two-out double to left-center.
The relay throw by Chicago's Addison Russell beat Carpenter by several steps, leaving Carpenter to awkwardly try to slide around catcher Willson Contreras.
"After the play, I went back out to the field and was feeling the sensation that I was feeling," Carpenter said. "I came off the field after defense and just let the trainer know, and they made the decision to be proactive and not let it be something [that gets worse]. From what I was told, when you have a cramping situation like that, it can lead to a muscle pull. We were just being cautious."
Carpenter, who entered the night 12-for-35 since returning from the All-Star break, said dehydration also could have been a factor.