Todd Akin Rape Scandal, Cardinals' Extra-Inning Loss Apparently Both Apocalypse Signs

Cardinals Vs. Pirates: St. Louis Loses In 19 Innings

The Pittsburgh Pirates needed 19 innings to win their longest-ever game with the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-3, and keep pace in the NL Wild Card race.

Pedro Alvarez hit a solo home run in the 19th inning to put Pittsburgh up 4-3, and Andrew McCutchen put the Cards in a three-run hole with a two-run single later in the inning. It was the only time either team scored more than two runs in an inning on the day.

Strong pitching had kept the score low. St. Louis' Jaime Garcia allowed two unearned runs five hits in eight innings, striking out 10, and Pittsburgh starter Jeff Karstens had given up two runs in seven innings. But the teams' respective bullpens kept the game scoreless from the top of the seventh inning until the 17th inning.

Barret Browning's entrance in the 19th, though, spelled doom for the Cardinals.

For a 19-inning game, this was not an extraordinarily weird one: Jon Jay, who went 3-for-9, was the only player with more than two hits on the day. McCutchen had just two hits, but they produced three RBI, and he and Garret Jones both drove in runs with infield singles.

Perhaps most strangely, Adam Wainwright entered the game in the 18th inning for the Cardinals as a pinch hitter, and drew a walk.

The victory gives the Pirates the inside track on the second Wild Card spot in the NL. The San Francisco Giants trail Pittsburgh by one game, and the Cardinals are two games back after losing two of three to the Pirates this weekend.

For more on the Cardinals, be sure to check out Viva El Birdos. To find out more about the Pirates, head over to Bucs Dugout. And, for all of your MLB needs, visit Baseball Nation.

Cardinals Vs. Pirates Contest Sunday The Longest Ever, Apparently

Bad News: The St. Louis Cardinals lost the longest game they've ever played against the Pittsburgh Pirates Sunday, falling 6-3 after Barret Browning allowed a Pedro Alvarez homer in the 19th inning. It keeps them just out of reach of that Wild Card spot, and further back of the Pirates and the Hated Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central.

Good News: The Pirates are still well within reach of the Cardinals, who just got an outstanding outing from Jaime Garcia, a starter they'll need down the stretch. (They also have an off-day.)

Bad News: The Cardinals lost the second-longest game in series history, too, which means they're Cursed Forever.

#Pirates and #Cardinals are playing their longest game against each other since Pittsburgh won 4-2 in 17 innings Aug. 2, 1982.

— STATS LLC (@STATS_MLB) August 19, 2012

Good News: The Cardinals lost that game in 1982, the only year the Whiteyball clubs won the World Series and one of the high points in Cardinals history. That's good!

Bad News: The toppings contain potassium benzoate. (That's bad.)

Cardinals vs. Pirates: Cards Are No Strangers To Extremely Long Games

As the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates battle in the 19th inning of Sunday's series finale, Cards fans everywhere are likely thinking the same thing: "We've seen this before."

The Cardinals have played in three games that have gone 20 innings or more, with the most recent coming on April 17, 2010 vs. the New York Mets. The Cardinals lost that game, which went 6 hours and 53 minutes, and unless they can rally back from three runs down in the bottom half of the 19th, they will lose this one too.

Even if the Cardinals come back to tie, there would still be a long way to go before this game approaches the longest game in Cards' history. On Sep. 11, 1974, the Cardinals beat the Mets in a 25-inning marathon that lasted for over seven hours. The Cards had 99 plate appearances in that contest, and scored just four runs. Better than the Mets, at least, as they sent 105 batters to the plate and came away with only three.

For more on the Cardinals, be sure to visit Viva El Birdos. Additional Pirates coverage can be found at Bucs Dugout, while Baseball Nation is the place for all things MLB.

Pedro Alvarez Ends The St. Louis Cardinals' Endless Game, Survives On Their Largesse

Cardinals Vs. Pirates: Scoreless 18th Forces Game To 19th Inning

History is beckoning the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, now entering the 19th inning of a Sunday rubber match. But there's no winner in sight, with the teams still tied at 3-3 after 54 up and 54 down.

Both teams scored in the 17th inning, but could got make a dent in the scoreboard in the 18th. Jordy Mercer perished on the basepaths after a two-out double for the Pirates, while Carlos Beltran's single and pinch hitter Adam Wainwright's walk couldn't get the Cardinals any runs.

A combined 15 pitchers have been used in the game, seven by the Cardinals and eight by the Pirates. St. Louis has just one extra-base hit in the game, a two-run double way back in the fourth inning.

For more on the Cardinals, be sure to check out Viva El Birdos. To find out more about the Pirates, head over to Bucs Dugout. And, for all of your MLB needs, visit Baseball Nation.

Joe Kelly The Reliever Looks Familiar, Thanks To The Cardinals' Extra-Innings Extravaganza

Cardinals Vs. Pirates: Sunday Matinee Stretches Into Evening, 18th Inning

The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates are now entering the 18th inning of a Sunday series final, but the game will still only be worth one win and/or loss. Both teams scored in the 17th inning, but the score remains tied at 3-3 after 51 outs for both sides.

The Pirates got their run on an infield hit by Garrett Jones in the top of the 17th given up by Marc Rzepczynski. It was Rzepczynski's first batter of the day, as he entered the game with runners on second and third in relief of Joe Kelly.

But the Cardinals answered in the bottom of the 17th, turning a leadoff single by Yadier Molina into a sacrifice fly by Tony Cruz that scored pinch runner Ryan Jackson.

Should the Cardinals win, at some point, they will tie the Pirates at 66-55 on the season.

For more on the Cardinals, be sure to check out Viva El Birdos. To find out more about the Pirates, head over to Bucs Dugout. And, for all of your MLB needs, visit Baseball Nation.

Cardinals Vs. Pirates: Game Heads To 16th Inning

The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates will need at least a 16th inning to decide their Sunday contest, still tied at 2-2 after the 15th inning. That's probably not so sweet for either team.

After Jaime Garcia went eight innings and struck out 10, it was unlikely any Cardinals pitcher would match his effort on the day. Joe Kelly's trying, though, and has struck out four in the last four innings.

Five Pittsburgh pitchers have combined to let up five hits in seven innings of relief of Jeff Karstens.

The only two batters with multiple hits on the day, St. Louis' Allen Craig and Pittsburgh's Travis Snider, have each left the game, Craig for a pinch runner and Snider with an injury.

For more on the Cardinals, be sure to check out Viva El Birdos. To find out more about the Pirates, head over to Bucs Dugout. And, for all of your MLB needs, visit Baseball Nation.

Cardinals Vs. Pirates: Sunday Marathon Enters 15th Inning

The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates love each other too much to part: Sunday's rubber match in the NL Central rivals' weekend series is now entering the 15th inning.

Neither team has scored in the game since the sixth, when a sacrifice fly and an Andrew McCutchen RBI single tied the game for the Pirates. Both runs were unearned, and Jaime Garcia's day was a spectacular one as the Cards' starter: eight innings pitched, five hits, no walks, 10 strikeouts.

Carlos Beltran's two-run double in the fourth opened the scoring for St. Louis, but Jeff Karstens went seven innings and allowed just those two runs and a mere two hits.

Cardinals pitchers have allowed just two hits since Garcia exited. Pirates pitchers have given up just four, with closer Joel Hanrahan working out of a jam in the 14th.

Should the Cardinals win, they will tie the Pirates at 66-55 on the year.

For more on the Cardinals, be sure to check out Viva El Birdos. To find out more about the Pirates, head over to Bucs Dugout. And, for all of your MLB needs, visit Baseball Nation.

Cardinals Vs. Pirates: Jaime Garcia Returns To Rotation Sunday Afternoon

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to take their weekend series against the NL Central rival Pirates on Sunday afternoon with Jaime Garcia on the mound. Sunday marks the first start for Garcia since early June, when he was put on the shelf with a still undefined shoulder ailment. Garcia's return should provide a boost for the Cards' rotation, as well as the bullpen with fireballer Joe Kelly now moving into a relief role.

Garcia battled control problems in a month of May that really got away from him. While he may not be considered the "next big thing" in the rotation, SB Nation's Dan Moore thinks he can still be a quality contributor:

He's having a pretty good year anyway. Worse than last year, about even with his rookie year, but in 11 starts I'm hesitant to get that granular; when he got hurt, his peripherals were basically what we expected them to be. No breakout, but certainly not a 4.48 ERA. His xFIP is third on the team-really tied for second, with Lance Lynn-behind only Adam Wainwright.

With the Cardinals jostling for position against the Pirates in the Wild Card standings, Garcia will need to have his velocity up and control in order during the Sunday matinee finale.

For more on the Cardinals, be sure to check out Viva El Birdos. To find out more about the Pirates, head over to Bucs Dugout. And, for all of your MLB needs, visit Baseball Nation.

Cardinals Vs. Pirates: St. Louis Looks for Series Win, Wild-Card Tie Against Pittsburgh

The St. Louis Cardinals will attempt to win an important weekend series against the Pirates, tie Pittsburgh for second in the NL Central, and potentially move into a tie for the second wild-card position in Sunday afternoon's game, scheduled to begin at 1:15 CT at Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals will send the recently rehabilitated Jaime Garcia to the mound for his first start in more than two months following a shoulder injury. Garcia was 3-4 in the first two months of the season, with a 4.48 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. He had been roughed up by Houston in his final start before the injury announcement, giving up six runs in just two innings.

Pittsburgh will pitch veteran Jeff Karstens, who enters with a 4-3 record and a 3.91 ERA this season. In his only previous appearance against St. Louis this season, Karstens went seven innings and gave up just two runs, picking up his first win of the season on June 30.

Television coverage will be handled by Fox Sports Midwest.

For more on the Cardinals, be sure to check out Viva El Birdos. To find out more about the Pirates, head over to Bucs Dugout. And, for all of your MLB needs, visit Baseball Nation.

Trevor Rosenthal Sent Back To Memphis After Saving The Bullpen

Jaime Garcia Returns To The Cardinals' Rotation Sunday; Here's Why That Matters

Cardinals Vs. Pirates Final Score: 5-4 St. Louis Win Shrinks Wild Card Lead

The St. Louis Cardinals took the second of three games in a weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, 5-4, and narrowed the gap on the second wild card spot in the National League.

Lance Lynn started and allowed three runs in 4.1 innings for the Cards, but strong bullpen work got St. Louis the win. Four pitchers combined for 4.2 scoreless innings in relief of Lynn, with Barret Browning earning the win. Jason Motte picked up his 28th save of 2012 despite allowing a run in the ninth inning.

Matt Carpenter opened the scoring in the first inning with an RBI single, but the Pirates tied the game in the third. Shane Robinson's two-run double in the fourth was also answered with two Pittsburgh runs in the fifth. But Yadier Molina's two-run ground-rule double in the fifth inning gave the Cardinals the lead for good.

The win shaved the Pirates' lead on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cardinals to just one game in the race for the National League's second wild card berth. The Dodgers can cut that lead to a half-game with a victory later on Saturday.

The rubber match of the three-game series in St. Louis will be at 1:15 p.m. Central on Sunday. Jaime Garcia will take the mound for the Cardinals, while Jeff Karstens will pitch for the Pirates.

Cardinals vs. Pirates: Ryan Jackson to Make 2nd Career Start

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Ryan Jackson will make his second career start Saturday afternoon as the Cards battle the Pittsburgh Pirates in a crucial NL Central matchup.

Jackson's only other big league start came Aug. 11 in a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Jackson went hitless in three plate appearances before being lifted in favor of Daniel Descalso late in the game. Shane Robinson, who hasn't started since Aug. 3 vs. the Brewers, is in the lineup as well.

Cardinals:

1. Rafael Furcal SS
2. Matt Carpenter RF
3. Matt Holliday LF
4. Allen Craig 1B
5. David Freese 3B
6. Yadier Molina C
7. Shane Robinson CF
8. Ryan Jackson 2B
9. Lance Lynn P

Pirates:

1. Starling Marte LF
2. Jordy Mercer 2B
3. Andrew McCutchen CF
4. Garrett Jones 1B
5. Travis Snider RF
6. Pedro Alvarez 3B
7. Rod Barajas C
8. Clint Barmes SS
9. Erik Bedard P

Lance Lynn is looking for his 14th victory of the season, which would place him in a tie with Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals for third in the National League.

For more on the Cardinals, be sure to check out Viva El Birdos. To find out more about the Pirates, head over to Bucs Dugout. And, for all of your MLB needs, visit Baseball Nation.

Cardinals Vs. Pirates: St. Louis Trying To Remain In Wild Card Race With Pittsburgh

The St. Louis Cardinals continue their key weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

With the Pirates and Atlanta Braves tied atop the NL wild-card standings, the Cardinals are now two games behind in the race after losing their last two games, including a tight 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh in the series opener on Friday.

St. Louis will turn to RHP Lance Lynn (13-5, 3.65 ERA) to turn things around. The Cardinals are winless in Lynn's last three starts, though he was tagged for just one decision in those games. In his last outing against Pittsburgh on June 30, Lynn took the loss after giving up six runs in five innings.

Pittsburgh will counter with LHP Erik Bedard (7-12, 4.56 ERA) on the mound. Bedard has won two consecutive starts

The game is set for 3:05 p.m. CT start, with coverage on Fox Sports Midwest and KMOX.

For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout and SB Nation Pittsburgh. For more on the Cards, head over to Viva El Birdos.

Pirates Vs. Cardinals Final Score: Cards Lose 2-1, Fall 2 Games Back In Wild Card Race

The St. Louis Cardinals fell two games back in the race for the second wild card spot with their 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates Friday.

St. Louis entered the game one game behind Pittsburgh for the second wild card spot, but their offense was unable to get anything going against Pittsburgh starter James McDonald. McDonald picked up his 11th win of the season, allowing no runs over six innings while striking out seven.

The Pirates scored both of their runs in the fourth inning, although neither came on a hit. With the bases loaded and no outs, Travis Snider scored Pittsburgh's first run on a wild pitch by Jake Westbrook. After a Rafael Furcal error allowed Pittsburgh to load the bases again, Andrew McCutchen scored from third on a passed ball.

Westbrook took the loss despite only allowing one earned run over 7-2/3 innings. The Cardinals combined for only four hits, with David Freese recording two of them in a 2-4 effort.

The three-game series will continue Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET from Busch Stadium.

For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout and SB Nation Pittsburgh. For more on the Cards, head over to Viva El Birdos.

Pirates Vs. Cardinals Series Preview: St. Louis Takes Aim At Pittsburgh In Weekend Showdown

The Cardinals can take control of the Wild Card race with the Pirates this weekend with a crucial three-game series at home.