St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres

Last week was a weird one for the St. Louis Cardinals. Mired in a season-long slog, a cat ran through the outfield, mauled a groundsman and escaped — and just like that the Cards came alive. It makes sense, right? Birds always become more alert and sharper when a cat appears nearby, and these Redbirds are now playing sharper baseball than they have in months. The resurgent Cardinals take on the San Diego Padres in a three-game series this week. Can the hometown team continue to rally? Will the team add a little kitty patch to the uniforms under the familiar birds 'n' bats if the Cards go all the way this year? If they start to falter, will Mike Matheny have a cougar thrown into the dugout to get 'em going again? Baseball is a weird game. First pitch for the San Diego series is at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 6:15 p.m. Thursday (August 22 to 24). Tickets are $8.90 to $210.