So here we are: The St. Louis Cardinals are tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for second place in the National League Central, a half-game short of the Milwaukee Brewers, thanks to a 3-1 loss against the Cincinnati Reds, who are 47-48 despite an excellent run differential. Like sand through the hourglass, these are the standings of the NL Central. Jaime Garcia took the hard-luck loss after an ugly sixth inning in which Ryan Theriot was ejected for disputing a call at second base. Lance Berkman homered for the Cardinals, who are 50-45.
With the Pirates' extra-innings win against the Astros and the Brewers' 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies, the Reds were unable to gain any ground in the NL Central themselves; the Brewers now have first place all to themselves.
The Cardinals will continue their road trip on Tuesday, when they head to Queens to take on the New York Mets in the long-suffering pondscum rivalry. The Mets' trade of closer Francisco Rodriguez to the Brewers for, well, pondscum to be named later should be enough to get things heated, right?