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Storm's a-brewin' as Milwaukee blows into town

The Cardinals had just completed a 3-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants following a 9-2 win yesterday when all thoughts, heads, questions and baseball scribes' pens immediately turned towards the crucial series that begins tonight, one that will make or break St. Louis' season.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (32) stands in the dugout after being removed from the game during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

There's no rain or tornadic winds in the forecast, but rest assured, a storm's a-brewin' as Milwaukee blows into town for an all-important showdown of postseason proportions. The Cardinals just completed a three-game sweep of the hapless San Francisco Giants with a 9-2 win Sunday when all thoughts, heads, questions and baseball scribes' pens immediately turned towards the crucial series that begins Monday, one that will make or break St. Louis' season.

The Brewers enter the final week of major league baseball's 162-game season with an 89-67 record, two-and-a-half games behind the NL Central-leading Cubs, two ahead of the 87-69 Cardinals and sitting atop the NL Wild Card standings. To get this party started, the Brewers will send right-hander Chase Anderson to the mound while the 'Birds will counter with Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Jack Flaherty. If the Cardinals are to get off on the right foot, the right arm of their ace-in-the-making, Flaherty, will have to become "Killer Jack" with an outing that rivals his June 22 performance on a Friday night at Miller Park.

"Killer Jack", pitching the game of his young MLB career, was staked to a 1-0 lead and had mowed a very daunting and dangerous Milwaukee lineup down, striking out 12 along the way. But a funny thing happened as he flirted with perfection, Flaherty lost his no-hit bid in the 7th inning on a one-handed home run off of the bat of Jesus Aguilar. who turned around and won the game with his second of the night off of then-closer Bud Norris in the bottom of the ninth to cap an improbable Brewer win and devastating Cardinal loss that was certain to embody the season's frustrations and destined end.

Now, after their 180-degree turn around following the All-Star break, the Cardinals chances to play October baseball comes down to the last six games — three against the Brewers at Busch and three versus the Cubs at Wrigley. It will make for one of the most compelling and dramatic finishes since the inception of the wild card, complete with frayed nerves, upset stomachs, Maalox, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. All Jack Flaherty has to do is get the Cardinals and Cardinal Nation off to a roaring start towards the finish line. Now, that's not too much to ask of a 22-year-old, is it?

Manager Mike Shildt, pitching coach Mike Maddux and Flaherty's bird-on-the-bat teammates don't think so. They feel he's more than capable of handling the moment, the pressure. He's mature beyond his years with an uncanny command of his arsenal of pitches that's sure to befuddle the best of batters when he's "on".

The stage is not too big. Flaherty offers the club its best shot at bringing its post-season absence to a screeching halt, the reason Shildt and Maddux made sure he got the most starts in the biggest games down the stretch.

A no-hitter against this Brewers lineup MIGHT be a bit of a stretch but I'm sure St. Louis fans near and far would settle for a one- or two-hit gem. A storm's a-brewin' as Milwaukee blows into town, but Jack Flaherty could make everyone warm and fuzzy, everything sunny and blue, with another signature start.

"Killer Jack" is due.

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