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There is just over a week left in baseball and that means two things. The baseball playoffs are right around the corner and the nominees for the 2009 NL Cy Young award have been narrowed down.

Chris Carpenter St. Louis Cardinals
Prior to the start of the season, Carpenter had only played in 5 games in the past two seasons after dealing with major surgery on his elbow. No one was sure what to expect from Carpenter after all the time he missed, but their doubts were answered when he started the 2009 season by tossing a 1 hit win against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This season Carpenter has started 27 games and has earned a 16 4 record. In 187.2 innings, Carpenter has held opponents to a .227 batting average while maintaining a 2.30 ERA. While he has struck out 137 batters, Carpenter has only issued 37 walks.

While Carpenter was impressive during the first half of the season, he stepped up his game after the All-Star break. Since then, he has a 9-1 record with a 2.16 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 104 innings of work.

Carpenter did limit the scoring chances for the opposition in 2009 by allowing four or more runs only seven times during the season. The one thing that would hold back some of the votes for NL Cy Young would be another pitcher on the Cardinals staff.

Tim Lincecum San Francisco Giants
If you were impressed with Lincecum's Cy Young campaign in 2008, you have to be amazed at the fact that Lincecum has been able to improve upon every major pitching category in 2009.

In 2009, Lincecum has appeared in 31 games while putting together a 14-7 record over 218.1 innings of work. Lincecum has been able to post a 2.47 ERA while limiting opposing batters to a .209 batting average. This year, Lincecum has struck out 254 batters while reducing the number he walked to 66.

This year Lincecum has been a workhorse for the Giants, pitching at least 7 innings in 23 of his 31 starts. He was involved in five no decisions where the bullpen loss the game for him four times.

What ay hurt Lincecum chances for the 2009 Cy is his less than stellar record since the All-Star break. He has worked 90.2 innings while earning a 4-5 record with a 2.69 ERA. If the Giants are able to make the playoffs as the wildcard team, Lincecum will be cited as one of the main reasons and will have a better chance of earning the Cy Young.

Adam Wainwright St. Louis Cardinals
The potential for Wainwright has always been there but it was not until the 2009 season did he really have a break through Cy Young performance with

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