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ST. LOUIS -- After watching another loss low-lighted by poor starting pitching and shaky defense, St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny didnt sugarcoat the situation.Were going to have to clean it all up, he said.Thursday nights 12-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers leaves St. Louis a full game behind San Francisco for the National Leagues first wild card spot and a half-game in back of the New York Mets for wild card number two.Simply put, the Cardinals (73-66) are running out of time and chances to extend their MLB-best string of consecutive playoff seasons to six. The good news regarding Friday nights matchup with Milwaukee is that they can use their best starting pitcher this year.Carlos Martinez (13-7, 3.07) is coming off a 5-2 win Sunday at Cincinnati in which he struggled with his control, giving up five walks in six-plus innings, but didnt give up a run until the seventh because he induced three double plays.Thats become a staple of Martinezs 26 starts -- the twin-killing. Martinez leads the National League with 30 double play balls, as batters simply cant do much with his mid to upper-90s sinker.Meanwhile, hitters have been able to do plenty with the offerings of Brewers right-hander Jimmy Nelson (7-13, 4.36), who has struggled in his last 17 starts, going 2-10 with a 5.61 earned run average.Martinez owns two wins in three outings this year against Milwaukee -- all at Miller Park. The one game he didnt win, he left with the lead after fanning a career-high 13 batters in six innings on Aug. 29.As for Nelson, hes been drilled by St. Louis throughout his career, losing all six of his decisions against it with a 7.57 earned run average. Nelson is 0-1 this year in two starts, although he has a respectable 3.75 earned run average.However, the Brewers are looking more like playoff contenders at this point than the opponent thats chasing a postseason spot. Milwaukee has won seven of its last eight games, including two of three earlier in the week against the Chicago Cubs, and owns a season-high five-game road winning streak.We try to keep it loose, shortstop Orlando Arcia said through an interpreter when asked about the teams recent success. Youre always happy to be in a good streak. Youre just going out there and having fun.More than one pundit felt the Brewers were a candidate for 100 losses this year, but they clearly arent tanking their way to the finish line. Milwaukee has showcased a nice blend of power and speed, cracking 163 homers and leading the NL with 159 steals.While the Brewers still have work to do defensively and with their pitching, Cubs manager Joe Maddon likes the progress they have made.They continue to get it together on the field, he said after Wednesday nights 2-1 loss in Milwaukee. I know we got them at home recently but they are doing a lot of things well. You have to give them credit, man. And their bullpen, I keep saying it, they have some really nice arms. Wholesale Nuggets Jerseys . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Cheap Nuggets Jerseys Authentic . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. http://www.cheapnuggetsjerseys.com/ . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Jarred Vanderbilt Jersey . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. Thomas Welsh Jersey .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Steve McShane rushed for a career-high 207 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, and Western Illinois beat Eastern Illinois 38-21 in a season opener Thursday night.Two third-quarter touchdown passes by Eastern Illinois Mitch Kimble cut a 17-point halftime lead to 24-21 before Devon Moore ran 6 yards for a score and McShane burst for 70 yards and a touchdown with 7:04 remaining. McShanes run was the Leathernecks first of at least 70 yards since 2000.McShane scored on a 1-yard run and Sean McGuire from 5 yards after the Panthers took their only lead on Kimbles 19-yard run on their first drive.dddddddddddd McGuire added a 2-yard TD pass to Tony Harper and Nathan Knuffman a career-tying 43-yard field goal as the half ended.Kimble, who passed for 323 yards, threw 53 yards to Ben Odugbesan for a TD, and Korliss Marshall, with 111 yards receiving, took a backfield pass and went 79 yards. ' ' '