No matter what, never count out Cardinals

CHICAGO — According to the National League Central standings, the Cardinals are 12 games behind the Cubs. Yet you can’t help but wonder: Do they have the league right where they want it?

There are teams you can write off when they’re beat up and things aren’t going well. Then there are the Cardinals.

Since Tony La Russa’s team worked miracles in 2006, the Cards have often found a way to play their best when the wins count the most. They defy both logic and statistical analysis, consistently coming up bigger as a team than their roster might make you expect.

Because they never give an inch, they can never be dismissed as a threat to come from behind and win a game or to find a way to push their way into another postseason field. They’re a team nobody is going to want to play in October.

“Staying with it,” manager Mike Matheny said after Sunday night’s 6-4 victory over the Cubs. “We get down. We’ve been down quite a few times early. Guys just keep playing the game. It’s something I’m extremely proud of about this club. They don’t give in, they don’t give up. They keep playing the game.”

The way the Cardinals exploded against the Cubs’ bullpen on Saturday and Sunday suggests they’re up for a fight against the Pirates, Mets and Giancarlo Stanton-less Marlins for the second Wild Card spot (assuming the NL West runner-up takes the first one).

If they do manage to extend their franchise-best streak of five consecutive trips to the postseason, they’ll look back on Matt Bowman’s great escape Sunday as a turning point in their battle.

This was looking like the worst kind of weekend for the Cardinals.

They had lost No. 3 hitter and clubhouse cornerstone Matt Holliday to a broken thumb on Thursday night, after Adam Wainwright got whacked around and Matt Adams had already landed on the disabled list. Then they were steamrolled by Jake Arrieta and five home runs on Friday.

The Cardinals had scored six runs in the eighth on Saturday to win 8-2, but seemed on their way to losing the series three games to one when Bowman entered Sunday night. The Cubs led 3-1 in the seventh, there were men on first and third with no outs, and Bowman walked Willson Contreras to make things even worse.

One hit would …

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