In the top of the third inning, Ron Darling offered the outlandish opinion that if the Brewers are to vanquish the Cardinals and advance to the World Series, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder will have to get base hits every time they bat with runners on base.

So far, he's right.

With two runners on base in the third, Ryan Braun fouled out to end the inning. Which meant Prince Fielder, rather than coming up with runners aboard, would lead off the fourth. And the Brewers can't win that way.

Well, not unless Prince Fielder leads off with a double, and then Jerry Hairston drives him in with a double, and then Yuniesky Betancourt drives in Hairston with a single. If the Brewers could somehow do that, they just might be able to win the NLCS, even if Braun and Fielder occasionally fail to hit safely with runners on base.

What? They did do that in the fourth? And the score's now Cardinals 2, Brewers 2 in the middle of the fourth inning?

Please, nobody tell Ron Darling. He might stop opining, and nobody wants that.