So you're saying there's a chance?

[Spider John]

Lets just pretend the Braves won the Infante HR game and we won last night. Still 2 back.

That's how I looked at it. More like we gave that gift right back.

We're re-gifters.

[Jmodene]

And then today we grabbed the gift right back, with that weird bottom of the ninth win, combined with the Braves' loss.

Amazing - you'd think Strasburg would be the one winning 4-1 and Wang would be the one losing 8-4.

Baseball is indeed a weird game.

2 back with 4 to go.

[JCShutout]

Atl: 4 games left, 89 wins

Stl: 4 games left, 87 wins

2 back, 4 left. Gotta win out and hope atl goes 2-2.

Cards:
1 vs Chi
3 @ Hou

Atlanta:
1 @ Was
3 vs Phi

[Jmodene]

FWIW, if we wind up tied and have to play that 163rd game on Thursday, it'll be Lohse on regular rest or Jackson on 3 days' rest, since Carp has to start in Houston on Wednesday.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

FWIW, if we wind up tied and have to play that 163rd game on Thursday, it'll be Lohse on regular rest or Jackson on 3 days' rest, since Carp has to start in Houston on Wednesday.

Not if we win 3 and Atlanta loses 3. Then we go into Wednesday knowing at worst we tie. LaRussa might decide in that instance to not pitch Carp.

Everyone seems to think Atlanta will, without a doubt, at worst, split. They've been playing some sucky baseball the last month. Their odds of losing the next 3 are at least as good as us winning the next 3.

Anything can happen here. I'll keep an open mind.

[Jmodene]

FWIW, if we wind up tied and have to play that 163rd game on Thursday, it'll be Lohse on regular rest or Jackson on 3 days' rest, since Carp has to start in Houston on Wednesday.

Not if we win 3 and Atlanta loses 3. Then we go into Wednesday knowing at worst we tie. LaRussa might decide in that instance to not pitch Carp.

I suppose that's possible - at the least, it's an interesting suggestion - but I can just imagine the forums imploding if we don't pitch Carp on Wednesday, we wind up tied, and then he gets beat on Thursday instead.

As I said before, in my ideal scenario, we clinch it on Tuesday, which negates the need to use Carp either on Wednesday *or* Thursday - but for that to happen, we need to win 4 in a row while the Braves lose 4 in a row; that would put us up by 2 with 1 game left, which is probably too much to ask for.

[obucard]

FWIW, if we wind up tied and have to play that 163rd game on Thursday, it'll be Lohse on regular rest or Jackson on 3 days' rest, since Carp has to start in Houston on Wednesday.

Not if we win 3 and Atlanta loses 3. Then we go into Wednesday knowing at worst we tie. LaRussa might decide in that instance to not pitch Carp.

He already did it once, in '06. I think it's a given he would do the same here if that scenario played out.

[jagtrader]

Phillies are going to bring it for the first two games of the Braves series. If Cards win out, a gigantic if considering they were dead team walking before Marmol bailed them out, I think they catch Atlanta.

[Felix The Cat]

Phillies are going to bring it for the first two games of the Braves series.

I hope it's enough to snap that 7 game losing streak of theirs.

[danh35]

I think the Phillies will try to spoil the Braves chances for the Wild Card. The Brewers are only a game up on Arizona for the second best record in the league, and if I remember correctly, Arizona won the season series between the two, so if they tie, Arizona gets the second seed. If that happens and the Braves win the Wild Card, the Phillies get the Brewers in the first round. If the Cards get the Wild Card, they would play the Phillies. I would think the Phillies would rather not play the Brewers in the first round, so they go hard against the Braves to avoid that scenario.