Chris Carpenter turned in another magnificent performance last night for the Cardinals, improving to 9-1 this season despite not having his best stuff.

As has been mentioned before, when Carpenter has been healthy for the Cardinals, he’s been amazing. His overall record with the Cards is 77-25 with a 2.28 ERA. He has 798 strikeouts and 205 walks.

Take out the two years Carpenter missed because of Tommy John surgery, and he averages out to a 17-6 record, 181 strikeouts and 46 walks. His winning percentage of .755 with the Cardinals is first all-time.

Bernie Miklasz mentioned today on his show that Carpenter honors Bob Gibson with the way he goes about his business. I couldn’t agree more. Of the Cardinal pitchers I’ve seen in my prime (I didn’t see Gibson at his best), Carpenter is the best. If I had to start a pitcher in a playoff series, I’d go with Carp.

And that’s not just with the Cardinals. I’ll give you Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum, Andy Pettitte or Steve Strasburg. I’ll take Carpenter and take my chances.