Deja Vu in Milwaukee? Cardinals victory is eerily similar to Mother's Day

The St. Louis Cardinals gutted out an extra-inning victory against the Milwaukee Brewers tonight to give themselves a 70-69 record with just a few weeks left to go in the regular season.

On the surface, this appears to be a regular run-of-the-mill victory for the Cardinals. Steven Matz had his first start after rehabbing, the two clubs went back and forth, and the bullpen did a fine job of limiting the damage, especially Matthew Liberatore and Ryan Helsley.

However, a closer look at the game will reveal some uncanny similarities to a game earlier this year against the Brewers. On Mother's Day, the Cardinals fought for a 4-3 victory over the Brewers in Milwaukee. This game was the start of one of the best stretches in baseball until the All-Star Game.

What makes tonight's game so similar to the one on Mother's Day that catapulted the Cardinals into the playoff picture after a rough start? Well, many things. A quick glance at ESPN's summary from that day makes it obvious.

On May 12th, both manager Oliver Marmol and bench coach Daniel Descalso were ejected for arguing calls in the third inning. The same oddity occurred today. Marmol and Descalso were ejected in the top of the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes to home plate umpire Lance Barrett.

On May 12th, Michael Siani hit a go-ahead double in the seventh inning to score Brendan Donovan and put the Cardinals ahead. That run was all that the team would need, as closer Ryan Helsley notched his twelfth save in thirteen opportunities. On September 3rd, Siani again had a go-ahead hit that would end up winning the game, though this time it was a two-RBI single in the twelfth inning. Helsley again finished the game, though this time he recorded his seventh win.

A third layer of irony rests in the Cardinals' long-time first baseman: Paul Goldschmidt. On Mother's Day, Goldy launched a home run in the fifth inning to go along with a game-tying, two-RBI single in the sixth for a total of three RBIs. Tonight, Goldschmidt went 3-5 with a home run, a double, and three runs batted in.

The similarities between these two games are quite apparent. Time is running out for the Cardinals to make a push for the playoffs, but perhaps this victory could be just what they needed to make a run. Maybe even a win streak is in the cards for this squad.