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There arent many teams that the St. Louis Cardinals have been able to beat at Busch Stadium this year.One of them is coming to town for the next four games, which might be the boost St. Louis needs as it fights for one of two National League wild-card spots with San Francisco and the New York Mets.The Cardinals welcome the Milwaukee Brewers for the opener of a four-game series Thursday night. St. Louis is 30-37 at home but 5-1 against Milwaukee, including a three-game sweep July 1-3.Although they went 5-4 on a nine-game road trip, the Cardinals (73-65) ended it with a 4-3 loss Wednesday night to Pittsburgh, enabling the surging Mets to tie them for the second wild-card spot. Both teams are a half-game behind the Giants, which blew a ninth inning lead at Colorado Wednesday night and fell 6-5.Had St. Louis delivered a bit better with runners in scoring position in its series finale against the Pirates, it could have overtaken the Giants. But it instead went 3-for-14, failing to add on to its first inning run after the first three hitters singled, hitting into a double play with the bases loaded in the fourth and leaving Yadier Molina stranded in the eighth after his leadoff double.We had chances, lot of chances, but we didnt execute in certain situations and it cost us, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.Whats more, St. Louis saw its streak of games with a homer end at 25, which tied a National League record set earlier this year by San Diego.While St. Louis lost a game it could have won, the Brewers (62-77) were taking two of three from the Chicago Cubs, including a 2-1 verdict Wednesday night that saw third baseman Jonathan Villar homer twice.Chicagos magic number dropped to nine in the National League Central, but Milwaukee battled in the series as though it was pushing for a postseason berth.That felt like a real baseball game, like one youre on the edge of your seat the whole game, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. It was a game youre hanging on every pitch, literally.Milwaukee gives the ball to right-hander Junior Guerra (7-3, 2.85 ERA) for the series opener. Guerra, who dropped his only start this year against the Cardinals, just returned from a disabled list stint against Pittsburgh on Saturday, throwing 3 1/3 scoreless innings before leaving after reaching 70 pitches.St. Louis counters with lefty Jaime Garcia (10-11, 4.41), whos dropped his last three starts, although he pitched well for six innings in a 9-1 setback at Cincinnati on Saturday. Garcia is 2-1 in three starts this year against the Brewers with both wins coming at home.St. Louis leads the season series 11-4, and is 59-28 against Milwaukee since the 2012 seasons beginning. 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No. 13-seeded John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber were among six players who dropped out of the tournament on Tuesday, joining No. 12 seed Tommy Haas and two other players who withdrew on Monday. Boxing needed something special from featherweights Carl The Jackal Frampton and Leo El Terremoto Santa Cruz last Saturday. Something to make up for Terence Crawfords comprehensive but less-than-dazzling unanimous decision over Viktor Postol the previous week and Deontay Wilders mismatch with Chris Arreola the week before that.Boxing needed a fight like Keith Thurmans bitterly contested decision over Shawn Porter on June 23, an intense struggle in which two world-class welterweights gambled everything in an all-out bid for glory.Not every fight can be a classic, but to bring the masses back into the fold, the sport requires as many reminders as possible of just how great boxing can be.Frampton and Santa Cruz gave us all that and more. They gave us one of those magic moments boxing fans live for, the kind that makes following this perpetually troubled sport worthwhile.You wont see athletes in any other sport do what Frampton and Santa Cruz did. They entered territory where only heroes dare to tread. It was special in a way unique to boxing.1. At its best, boxing is still sports greatest spectacleThere comes a time in almost all great fights when the boxers seem to become caught up in something bigger than themselves. Its as if theyve been carried away by the frenzy of excitement and pushed beyond the bounds of normal human endurance.Frampton and Santa Cruz charged into that unforgiving realm in the second round and never looked back. They went at each other in a series of breathtaking attacks and counterattacks, round after round, flurry after flurry. Just when it looked like one of them was taking control, the other rallied back.The exchanges were awe-inspiring and virtually ceaseless, right up until the closing seconds when Frampton and Santa Cruz tore into one another a final time with an abandon bordering on desperation.The 9,062 fans in attendance inside Brooklyns Barclays Center cheered themselves hoarse, leaped to their feet on numerous occasions and gave the fighters a standing ovation before the start of the 12th round and again at the final bell.It was boxing the way its supposed to be: a raw display of humanitys indomitable spirit and will to win.2. Frampton is better than a lot of people thoughtIts easy to understand why Santa Cruz was favored, at least on this side of the Atlantic. He was an undefeated veteran with 11 title-fight victories to his credit, an aggressive volume puncher who could be relied on to attack.Frampton, on the other hand, had looked a bit vulnerable in his two previous bouts, getting knocked down twice by Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. and playing it a little too safe against Scott Quigg. To be fair, he won both of those fights, but he failed to impress the American audience.Against Santa Cruz, on the biggest night of his career, the Belfastt man was better than hed ever been before.ddddddddddddMaybe moving up from junior featherweight to featherweight had something to do with it. After all, Frampton said that making 122 pounds was killing him. Then theres Santa Cruzs walk-in style, which makes him a relatively easy target. Who knows? Perhaps the enormity of the occasion helped pushed him to a different level.Whatever the reason, this time, when he needed it the most, Frampton actually fought like a jackal.3. Quality over quantity was the deciderAccording to CompuBox, Santa Cruz connected with 255 punches to Framptons 242. Even so, most observers agreed that Frampton deserved a close decision. That he hit harder than Santa Cruz became clear in the second round when he staggered Santa Cruz with a left hook.There were times when the sheer volume of Santa Cruzs output looked like it might be enough to sweep him to victory. But as Larry Merchant used to preach, punch stats are quantitative, not qualitative. When you get right down to it, it was the superiority of Framptons punches that made the difference.4. Frampton has plenty of optionsTalk of a rematch began as soon Framptons arm was raised, which is understandable considering how wildly entertaining and well-fought the first fight was.Moreover, according to Santa Cruzs camp, hes contractually guaranteed a return bout. It might not be Framptons next defense, but unless either of them loses in the interim, Frampton-Santa Cruz II should eventually happen.Frampton has a few attractive matches back home in the U.K., including Wales Lee Selby, who also owns a featherweight title, and Quigg, who would gladly move up four pounds from junior featherweight to get another crack at the only man who beat him.Other highly capable contenders, including American Gary Russell (who also owns a piece of the featherweight title), undefeated Mexican knockout artist Oscar Valdez and Argentine slugger Jesus Cuellar, would all fit well with Frampton.5. The McGuigan factorThe image of former featherweight titleholder Barry McGuigan with his head bent in prayer between the end of the fight and the announcement of the decision was remarkable -- a famous man having a private moment in a very public setting.McGuigan remains a popular public personality in the U.K., where his sharp mind and magnetic personality serve him well. Hes never strayed far from boxing, but managing Frampton has put The Clones Cyclone back on the international stage.McGuigan is still spry and bright-eyed, enjoying his new role and the success of his son, Shane, who trains Frampton. You get the feeling hed fight just as hard for his fighters as he once did for himself and Ireland. ' ' '