Justin Upton said it best — we just didn’t know it at the time.

Yep, his F-bomb after flying out to Carlos Beltran to end the top of the eighth was easily audible on Fox Sports Midwest. It caused Ricky Horton to apologize on the air, which was awkward — yet Upton’s outburst also was prescient.

Because an inning later, what Cardinals fan wasn’t at least thinking that very same thing — if not saying it or tweeting it — as first Paul Goldschmidt and then Chris Young homered on back-to-back pitches from Jason Motte?

1-0 lead to 2-1 deficit on two pitches with one out in the ninth.

No sweep.

Another one-run loss, of which the Cardinals now have 20 (and only 12 wins).

No keeping pace with the Pirates in the wild card or NL Central races heading into this big weekend series, no gaining ground when the Reds lost to the Mets.

A wasted scoreless performance by Kyle Lohse.

Ah, well. So it goes.

Jason Motte does has 27 saves (though five blown ones). And the Cardinals had plenty of chances to score more than the lone run they managed when Allen Craig drove in Lohse in the fifth.

Still … if not for those two pitches …

FUDGE.


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.