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Matt Carpenter walks off the Cardinals' troubles in extras

The painful reality is Cardinals fans will never be satisfied until one of two things occurs: Matheny gets fired or the team wins their 12th World Series.
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY SPORTS

After a few disappointing endings in downtown St. Louis, Matt Carpenter lifted the spirits of the city under a light rain shower Tuesday night at Busch Stadium with one mighty hook.

The under-appreciated infielder pulled an 11th pitch right inside the right field foul pole for a 5-3 winner over the Milwaukee Brewers. Here are the five things I took away from the game.

5) Jordan Hicks continues to impress. The Brewers made him work a little harder, with Hicks throwing 27 pitches to get six outs. There was a couple walks and a hit allowed, but Hicks also struck out two and kept them off the scoreboard in a tight game. This kid is the team's not so secret weapon. He is a utility bullpen arm with closer stuff.

4) Dominic Leone experienced some redemption. He struck out two and allowed zero baserunners to keep the game tied at four heading into the Carpenter blast. Baseball allows a player so many do-overs that heartbreak can actually be washed away. Leone hasn't been all bad. He just needs the work.

3) The umpires plainly missed a single off the bat of Harrison Bader in the tenth, but Major League Baseball also messed up by allowing the call on the field (a catch) to stand after review. Cardinals play-by-play voice John Rooney was ruthless in his assessment of the play: "That's awful. Why do we have replay?"

2) Carlos Martinez dazzled again, shutting down a powerful Milwaukee lineup for six innings, allowing just a run on six hits. He struck out four and needed 92 pitches to do so, but the young ace did his job well. How many people are still worried about one bad start or the guy's hair? If you raised your hand, please put it down.

1) Carpenter is somehow underrated after all this time. He gets on base at a crazy clip, but fans wish he ran the bases better. He is asked to play three positions, but fans wish he was a gold glover at one spot. He hits home runs, but fans want more singles for a higher batting average. He produced a 2.9 fWAR last year and it was called a down year. Huh?!? When he walked off late Tuesday night, I am sure some fans wished he did it earlier in the game or didn't pull it so much.

The painful reality is Cardinals fans will never be satisfied until one of two things occurs: Matheny gets fired or the team wins their 12th World Series.

The fact is the team is now 5-6 and finishes off the homestand with an Adam Wainwright start that could trigger a couple of outcomes. If he struggles, the pressure to bring Jack Flaherty back will increase. If he pitches well, many will wonder how long it can last and if it's only successful at Busch. Will Wainwright's velocity show issues after just 50 pitches?

Those are questions that have appointments to see an answer this afternoon. For now, as you rise out of bed and smell the coffee, savor the first walkoff win of 2018.

Thanks, Matt Carpenter. If only you could hit a few more singles.

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