After the sad photos to describe Friday and Saturday’s games, here’s one to summarize today’s 8-3 Cardinals win.

Eight runs! Seventeen hits — although the first 13 of them were singles! Seven for 16 with runners in scoring position! Four hits for Kolten Wong! Two hits — including the first extra-base hit — and an RBI from Daniel Decalso! A home run by Peter Bourjos! Lance Lynn — not spectacular but good enough especially when he needed to be! Pat Neshek with six Orioles up and six Orioles down in order! Trevor Rosenthal with a 1-2-3 inning! (Thankfully, since it wasn’t a save situation.) No homers by the Orioles! Mike Matheny challenged a call and it was overturned! And a highly entertaining ejection of Buck Showalter!

Plus the Pirates lost, so it’s the second-place Cardinals again! The Brewers also lost so the Cards are two back again! Thank you, Padres and Dodgers! (Oooooh, I might be getting carried away.)

Sure, the Cardinals lost the series (and lost it spectacularly with those awful games) but a win is a win. And, with the ups and downs of this season, any of those are definitely a good thing.

Now the Cardinals head south to Miami and National League baseball to take on the Marlins for three games starting tomorrow night. Game time is 6:10 p.m. Central, with Shelby Miller facing Tom Koehler.