Weak teams with nothing to lose or win often play well at the end of a season. They free swing and play without tension. In 2009, KC creamed the Tigers out of the playoffs. It happens regularly.
Braves win, Cards lose. 3 games back with 5 to go. Magic number is 3.
Peter Moylan is gone with a torn rotator cuff. Kris Medlen is back from Tommy Johns surgery.
See you shortly, Milwaukee.
Ah, but RickJay, you forget these are the Cardinals. The same Cardinals who couldn’t beat the Pirates to save their lives last year. The same Cardinals who’ll drop a series to the Astros just because nobody thinks they can. The same Cardinals who seem to play pretty great baseball against the top of the division (witness their record vs. the Reds last year, and how well they played against the Brewers in the late going this year) … but then lose games they have no business losing.
Like blowing a 4-run lead in the ninth to the Mets this week. Or losing that first game of this week’s series to the Cubs. The Cubs!! Are those guys still in the league? 
Now they have to make up 3 games on the Braves with only 5 to go. I don’t think they will get it done.
Verlander goes for 25 tonight. First one in a long time, and could be the last for a long time if he makes it.
Red Sox got caned by the Yankees today, and are now 5-17 in September. The Rays are currently 2 back with 5 to play, but if they don’t win some games pretty soon (like tonight), they can’t make up the ground.
The Cardinals won and Braves lost, leaving St. Louis 2 back with 4 to play. Braves have their last 3 against the Phillies, which be quite a challenge, although at least they’re at home and not in Philadelphia for those games.
It would be a nice note for the Astros to end the season by eliminating the Cardinals from contention. Not so nice that it would let the Braves in, but oh well.
Hey, don’t forget the Giants…they’re still not *quite *dead yet…
The six runs they gave up in the 1st tonight aren’t helping, though 
I think I’m gonna root for the Tigers from this point on.
Of course, the Phillies have now lost, what, nine in a row??
You just never know.
Yanks need 1 more win or 1 loss by Texas to secure home field now.
As Tampa won they are only 1.5 games back of Boston and Angels are only 2.5 back.
There is some panic in Boston from what I’ve been reading.
I find myself in the very odd position of rooting for the Yankees today. They have already won the division and home-field advantage, so a few more wins won’t change anything for them. And if they beat Boston, and the Rays win, it makes the Wild Card battles even closer. For the same reason, i’m also rooting against Toronto today, even though i have a soft spot for the Blue Jays.
New currently leads Boston 5-1, and the Rays lead the Jays 4-1. If these results hold, and the Yankees win the night game too, Boston and Tamp will be all tied up with 3 to play.
The Yankees already have home field. The Yankees own a head-to-head tie-breaker over Texas and Texas can only tie the Yankees.
Then the Yankees can tank the 3 games against the Rays just to spite Boston.
The attendance for the Verlander game was listed at 108.7 percent of capacity. They sold lots of standing room . We stood. It was 15 bucks . That was a money making day.
I’m calling it - Boston is not going to shake off its choke, and the Rays are taking the wildcard.
A critical doubleheader today, and they were forced to start Wakefield and Lackey.
Sox are still a half game up.
They’re still playing the nightcap.
For one day, and one day only, I am a Yankees fan.
Unacceptable.
And yet, completely necessary.
There are no scenarios where this is necessary or acceptable.
At this point, I’m rooting for the Yankees to win this game in the 37th inning, thus rendering them completely exhausted (in both senses of the word) for the series with the Rays.