For his second start of the NLDS Gio Gonzalez was nearly as wild as he was in Game 1. In Game 5 the St. Louis Cardinals again scored some runs but again were unable to capitalize fully on it, with Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina missing chances to tie a game that looked like a blowout in the first inning. The Cardinals trail the Washington Nationals 6-4 through seven innings, but those two misses with the bases loaded loom large in what could already have been a successful comeback.

Game 5's wildness came in the fifth inning. Gonzalez allowed a leadoff double to Daniel Descalso, and Pete Kozma followed it up with a line-drive single. Then Shane Robinson walked, to load the bases for the first time, before Jon Jay flinered his way into the inning's first out.

A wild pitch scored Descalso, and then Carlos Beltran walked to reload them. But Matt Holliday grounded into a force at home, Allen Craig drew a walk, and Yadier Molina flied out to end the threat. The Cardinals have given themselves plenty of opportunities to come back, but thus far none of them have gone quite enough.