Louis Cardinals: Is there anything to worry about?

Matt Carpenter cut the deficit to 3-2 on an RBI single to score Pete Kozma. “It’s good to get it out of your system, I think, right now instead of in the postseason”. We’re fine. There’s no panic.

“We have to do a better job”.

Manager Mike Matheny hoped the move would ultimately pay off.

“We’ve been so accustomed to seeing that starting pitching so locked down that when we don’t see it it looks extremely odd”, Matheny said.

The Cardinals had been trailing 3-1 with six outs before Chicago starter Jon Lester, who dominated St. Louis for most of seven innings, was replaced by manager Joe Maddon for a pinch hitter. It has been said the Lynn felt out of sync with his return pushed out three days.

Relief pitcher Jonathan Broxton (2-4) collected the mound win for the Cardinals, while Trevor Rosenthal harvested his 43rd save. They scored three runs off three bullpen pitchers and Clayton Richard took the loss.

While St. Louis starter Carlos Martinez was unhittable to start the season, he’s been average at best in his recent starts. Martinez is 1-0 with a 4.95 ERA and 18 strikeouts in his career against the Cubs.

“Obviously, being out there with a lead like that was the reason I was out there so long”, Haren said. Then again, his relievers make a nice salary, as well, right? “He kept coming out and grinding”.

The kind of bullpen breakdowns that cost the Cubs a chance to sweep the Cardinals on Wednesday won’t keep them from getting to October.

“We used to always come in here and lose”, he said.

“We’ve got to beat them here, that’s really important regarding our development”, Maddon said.

The Cubs had extended the lead to 8-0 on RBI doubles by Castro and Rizzo and so I guess Maddon figured, “What could go wrong if I let Hammel throw one more inning?”

After permitting a leadoff triple to second baseman Matt Carpenter and a one-out RBI single to right fielder Jason Heyward in the first, Lester didn’t permit another hit. Tommy La Stella followed with a two-out double to give the Cubs an extra run.

The Chicago Cubs had a golden opportunity to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals and send them a loud message.

Pitching has been phenomenal for the Cardinals all season as they rank No. 1 in team ERA, but run production is becoming a concern. Koehler (9-13) allowed 2 runs, 4 hits and 2 walks.

The NL Central-leading Cardinals maintained a 5 1/2-game lead over Pittsburgh, which lost 3-1 to Cincinnati. Randal Grichuk (elbow) pinch ran in the ninth after being activated off the DL, but has not been cleared for hitting or throwing. Votto was tossed by plate umpire Bill Welke while the Reds were trying to rally in the eighth.

This was a series that all Cubs fans were looking forward to, or maybe not depending on the levels of optimism. The big blow was Gyorko’s three-run home run, his 14th of the season. Greg Garcia laced his eighth pinch-hit of the season to put the tying run on base with one out.

Yadier Molina was walked, and Tony Cruz came in to replace him at first base. The Cubs have won four in a row and got an 11-game trip off to a strong start.