It was scoreless through six at Busch Stadium last night
As the Chicago Cubs visited the St. Louis Cardinals yet again.
Matt Garza left after three, causing quite a fright.
A trade? An injury? A conspiracy? When will we know? Oh, when?

Jake Westbrook was doing what we all like to see:
Pitching well as on and on the innings go.
But despite the fact the hits he allowed totaled only three
He had nothing to show for how well he could throw.

But then came the bottom of the seventh inning
Where quickly everything would change.
The Cardinals scoreless streak ended, talk could turn to winning
While Cubs pitchers tried in vain to keep the ball in the range.

Up first, David Freese, who’d just made a sparkling barehanded play,
He gets a hit to the exact same spot.
After a pitching change, Jon Jay tries to bunt Freeser on his way,
Yet Valbuena dives in to catch it — that corner is hot.

Allen Craig pinch-hits for Westbrook and he doubles — runners at second and third.
Raffy Furcal singles to put the Cards on the board with one run.
At last, a key hit with runners on — “yay” was the word!
Skip Schumaker then added to the fun.

For Skippy hit it very deep between center and right,
Ending up at third with two more runs on the board.
Matt Holliday walks, Beltran bounces it into a fan’s Bud Light
Ground-rule double, another run, things still moving forward.

Yadi is intentionally walked to bring LB to the plate.
Yet dear Lance couldn’t add to the fun.
He popped it up to second, and Dale Sveum couldn’t wait.
Time for yet another pitcher, because the inning wasn’t done.

Freeser up in the inning for at-bat number two.
A double to right scored two more.
Then Jay doubled too, which means AC, you know what to do.
Pinch-hitting twice and doubling twice just added to the score.

Eight runs as Raffy came up again then was walked.
Another new pitcher came on to face Skip.
Yet Skippy doubled too — as on Twitter we all talked
With glee about how this inning was a trip.

Holliday was next. Is it a surprise he doubled too?
Seven two-baggers for the inning was an MLB record to tie.
Twelve runs was a Cardinals record, it’s true.
Was all that not-hitting-with-runners-in-scoring-position talk a lie?

Beltran reached base on a K when the ball got away.
Is there anything the Cubs can do right?
Tyler Greene pinch-ran — no terrified at-bats on this day.
Only the Cubs who are looking on with fright.

Tony Cruz pinch-hits and strikes out for out number three.
Which is too bad — 13 would have looked good.
Seventeen batters, 12 runs, 10 hits, seven doubles and a triple it would be.
An inning we won’t soon forget — no way we could.

The game moved on, with Barret Browning taking the mound.
And our guy did what he too does so well:
Out number one, then two as Furcal covered some ground.
Then a walk, which was not so swell.

But Victor Marte replaced him with one pitch for out number three.
And LB finally got a hit in the eighth — a double, it’s true.
Trevor Rosenthal finished the game — good to see.
The score from the epic inning would more than do.

This afternoon the Cardinals will go for the sweep
With our Wolf Pup Lance Lynn on the mound.
Trevor Wood goes for the Cubs — will he cause their fans to weep?
And make the Cardinals fans’ cheers the only sound?


P.S. — I forgot one important milestone from last night (and thank you, Jeff, for the inspiration!)

With two outs in the fourth, a single was hit by dear Lance.
Then the Cub pitcher paid him absolutely no mind.
So off to second he went, though not quite a prance
A stolen base for LB! It’s true! What a find!


Christine Coleman is the senior St. Louis Cardinals reporter for Aaron Miles’ Fastball. Follow her on Twitter, @CColeman802, or email aaronmilesfastball@gmail.com. Also follow @AMilesFastball for the latest updates.