The St. Louis Cardinals tied the NLDS on Monday, putting 12 runs on the Washington Nationals on their way out of Busch Stadium. The good news: They put 12 runs on the Nationals. The bad news: two thirds of MUBOGMOT continued to make for very nervous TV, with Edward Mujica saved by Bryce Harper hitting into the youngest double play ever and Mitchell Boggs retiring Chad Tracy somehow with two on and two out.
After those four eighth-inning runs that feels like an odd thing to quibble over, which is what a strong offense can do for your bullpen. Having Daniel Descalso hit a home run feels like a lucky break; having Carlos Beltran hit two home runs feels like good news.
So: Wednesday, at noon—because the Cardinals are required by an obscure MLB bylaw to play during working hours—Chris Carpenter in D.C. with the chance to swing the series toward the Cardinals. Which should be pretty exciting.
In case you missed them, two important defensive plays in GIF mode, from the SB Nation St. Louis liveblog: Jon Jay's great catch and Matt Holliday's great terrible throw. And some scary late breaking news from Jenifer Langosch:
Jaime Garcia has been sent off to get an MRI. Was having arm discomfort tonight, which was reason he was out early.
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) October 9, 2012