After losing on Sept. 10, the St. Louis Cardinals were 71-69. The NL Central division was out of reach, and they ranked fourth in the Wild Card race, trailing the Second Wild Card spot by 3.5 games.
Beginning the next day, they went on a 17-game winning streak. When they finally lost again on Sept. 29, they were 88-70. Not only had they caught up in the postseason race, they’d taken control and clinched the Second Wild Card, running away with a 6.5-game margin. During that span they’d gained 13.5 games on the Padres, who had led the chase a few weeks prior.