St. Louis, MO – St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Carlos Beltran left Wednesday's Game 3 of the National League Championship Series after one inning due to a left knee strain.
Beltran apparently sustained the injury while grounding into a double play off San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain in the bottom of the first. He was then replaced by Matt Carpenter when the Cardinals took the field for the top of the second.
Carpenter contributed greatly to St. Louis' 3-1 win, belting a two-run homer in his first at-bat in Beltran's place during the third inning.
Beltran's status for Thursday's Game 4 is uncertain. The veteran switch-hitter has been one of the Cardinals' top performers during this postseason, batting .400 (12-for-30) with three home runs and six RBI in eight games. He had a two-run homer in St. Louis' 6-4 victory in Game 1 of its NLCS matchup with the Giants, then doubled twice in three at-bats in Sunday's 7-1 loss in Game 2.
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