Greinke fires off 1st shot; Brewers pitcher chides Carpenter

MILWAUKEE – In a Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse filled with oversized personalities, the first shot at the rival St. Louis Cardinals going into Game 1 of the National League championship series came from a surprising source: starting pitcher Zack Greinke, whose bout with social anxiety disorder typically makes him one of the least likely players to pop off.

Speaking to reporters at Miller Park on Saturday, Greinke said the Brewers don’t like Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter when he shouts at batters from the mound.

“They think his presence, his attitude out there sometimes is like a phony attitude,” Greinke said. “And then he yells at people. He just stares people down and stuff. And most pitchers just don’t do that. And when guys do, I guess some hitters get mad. Some hitters do it to pitchers. But when you do that, some people will get mad.

“There’s other pitchers in the league that do it, but, I don’t know,” Greinke said, “a lot of guys on our team don’t like Carpenter.”

The N.L. Central champion Brewers send Greinke to the mound for the opener against the wild-card Cardinals’ Jaime Garcia today.

With a World Series trip on the line for the 1982 Series opponents, an already-simmering rivalry could reach a new level of intensity.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa vigorously defended Carpenter, saying he was “very disappointed” with Greinke. La Russa said any team in the league, including the Brewers, would be happy Carpenter have him on their staff.

While it was surprising to hear Greinke talk openly about his teammates’ disdain for Carpenter on the eve of one of the biggest weeks in Brewers franchise history, the sentiment itself isn’t shocking.

Milwaukee’s rabble-rousing center fielder, Nyjer Morgan, the hero of Friday’s win over Arizona, got in a heated confrontation with Carpenter late in the regular season.