Cardinals fans can take a deep breath for more reason than one

Things were looking mighty precarious for the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium against an NL Central rival, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

For one, a blowup in the top of the fifth inning from Cardinals starter Lance Lynn put the club in danger of a bit of embarrassment as the veteran righty let the Buccos tie it up at 3-3. A loss in Thursday's series finale would've meant a series loss to the Pirates and that, in turn, would've left the Redbirds essentially tied with Pittsburgh in the division. But that wasn't the only thing that had Cards fans holding their collective breath.

Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, who admittedly has struggled this season but still remains a key part of any looming Cardinals turnaround this season, was hit by a pitch on the hand midway through Thursday's matinee. To make it even more painful, which it clearly was as the Gold Glover reacted in a world of hurt, the umpire ruled that he was hit while swinging, not giving him a free base.

Much to the chagrin of fans, though, he then went into the tunnel and did not return to the game and there was rightful fear of a serious hand injury.

Thankfully, all of this ended as peacefully as possible for St. Louis.

Nolan Arenado avoids major injury, Cardinals avoid embarrassment

Starting with Arenado, Katie Woo of The Athletic reported after the game that X-rays on Arenado's hand were negative and that he would only be listed as day-to-day with a bone bruise on the hand.

While Cardinals manager Oli Marmol didn't rule out Arenado missing some time with the bone bruise, not breaking any bones or missing an extended period of time is absolutely a positive for St. Louis. What's more, the way things played out in the game also were in favor of the Cards.

After Lynn gave up the 3-0 lead and we had a tie ballgame, Brendan Donovan delivered the key blow to the Pirates in the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo home run off of Mitch Keller that gave the Cardinals a 4-3 lead, which held for the final score. With the win, they now stay 1.5 games clear of the Pirates in the division and in the crowded NL Wild Card race. They're also second place in the NL Central after the victory as well.

And with the Cardinals still more alive than you might expect in the playoff hunt, knowing that Arenado won't be hitting the IL for a long stint is even more favorable. So breathe easy, Cards fans. Things turned out just fine, at least this time.