ST. LOUIS -- After most of their losses this year, the St. Louis Cardinals have consistently reminded everyone that theres still plenty of time left in the season.Following Wednesday nights 8-1 rout of the New York Mets, right fielder Stephen Piscotty was asked about the wild-card race in which the team is entwined.Theres no time to waste now, he said. Were competing against four or five other clubs for two spots. We cant worry about it. We just have to win every night.That goes double for New York (63-63), which badly needs a victory in Thursday nights series finale in Busch Stadium. The Mets fell 4 1/2 games behind St. Louis for the National Leagues second wild-card spot and will need a big finish if they are to defend their NL championship.Meanwhile, the Cardinals are playing themselves into a more favorable position. They remained 1 1/2 games ahead of Miami for the NLs second wild-card slot and are a game behind reeling San Francisco for the first wild-card spot, which would bring with it a home game on Oct. 5.St. Louis (67-58) can climb to 10 games above .500 for the first time all year if it can win the series finale. It will hope for a good start from Adam Wainwright (9-7, 4.71), whose six-inning outing Friday night at Philadelphia was his first start past the fifth inning since July 27.Wainwright gave up three runs to the Phillies and left trailing 3-1, but the Cardinals rallied for a 4-3 win in 11 innings. Hes traditionally struggled against New York, going 3-4 with a 5.17 ERA in 10 career outings.As for the Mets, theyll turn to right-hander Seth Lugo (0-2, 3.04), who will make his second MLB start. Lugo pitched decently in an 8-1 loss Friday night at San Francisco, pitching 6 2/3 innings and giving up three runs off seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts.New York has battled injuries lately and absorbed two more Wednesday. After putting left-hander Jonathon Niese on the 15-day DL with left knee pain, the Mets had to pull right fielder Jay Bruce with a right calf cramp in the second inning.But New York could get Bruce back in the lineup Thursday night, which would have to serve as a relief to manager Terry Collins.His calf knotted up when he was actually jogging out to right field in the first inning, Collins said of Bruce. Were going to wait to see how it is tomorrow. We couldnt afford to have him blow it out, so we took him out.While Bruce is just 13-for-77 since being acquired from Cincinnati on Aug. 1, he still has 27 homers and 86 RBI for the season, giving opponents pause when they think about pitching around Yoenis Cespedes.The Mets will need all the offense they can get against the Cardinals, which tied a season high with 19 hits Wednesday night and lead the NL with 178 homers. In its last 13 games, dating back to Aug. 9, St. Louis has cracked 28 homers. Astros Jerseys China . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Cheap Astros Jerseys . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it. http://www.customastrosjersey.com/ . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Jeff Bagwell Jersey Large . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Custom Astros Jerseys .ca! Hi Kerry, Its another day and here we are looking at another dubious hit to the head. In this case Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky elbowed Saku Koivu in the head about a second after he dished off the puck to a teammate, knocking him unconscious. BOSTON -- Bruins forward David Backes will miss at least the next two games after having a minor procedure on his arm, the team announced Wednesday.Backes, 32, missed the Bruins 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday at TD Garden and will not be in the lineup for Wednesdays game against the New York Rangers or Saturdays game against the Detroit Red Wings.David Backes underwent the removal of the olecranon bursa from his elbow on Monday, Oct. 24. His condition will be updated after the weekend, general manager Don Sweeney said in a statement released by the team.TThe bursa is a liquid filled sac that provides cushion against the pointy bone in the elbow.dddddddddddd If it is infected or badly damaged it can be removed and will grow back within a few months.Backes, who signed with the Bruins as a free agent during the offseason, has two goals and two assists for four points in five games for Boston this season.Forward Austin Czarnik has been recalled from Providence of the AHL to take Backes spot. ' ' '