I received a message from WyoCardsFan that he was huddled deep within an internet desert and unable to see much of the game or write the recap, so here is my brief, belated recap in his stead.
When Aroldis Champan struck out Tony Sanchez with a 102 MPH fastball, the Pirates lost and the Cardinals clinched the 2014 NL Central. Adam Wainwright and most of the Cardinals regulars were pulled from their expected roles in their soon starting game against Arizona.
Pete Kozma doubled to lead off the sixth inning, advanced to third on a Xavier Scruggs groundout, and scored on a Kolten Wong groundout. That was the lone score in the ballgame, as Nick Greenwood, Justin Masterson, Kevin Siegrist, Marco Gonzales, and Carlos Martinez combined for a two-hit shutout of the Diamondbacks.
It was not a necessary win, but it got the Cardinals to 90 on the season, and that's delightful. The next recap, a more thorough affair, will be Friday night after Adam Wainwright and the Cards take on Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers.