ST. LOUIS -- The Brewers and Cardinals were known for bad blood when they collided in the 2011 National League Championship Series. Seven years later, are the negative vibes back?
Tempers flared in the first inning of the Cardinals' 7-2 win over the Brewers at Busch Stadium on Saturday, leading to Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell's ejection and assurances from both sides that nobody was trying to hit anybody on purpose.
Lorenzo Cain, who was plunked with the Miles Mikolas pitch in the first inning that started everything, wondered otherwise.
"That team has hit me a few times," Cain said. "You definitely don't like getting hit. At the end of the day, we didn't come through and score a bunch of runs against [Mikolas] and knock him out of the ballgame. He hit me, but at the end of the day, he got the job done."
Cain has been hit by a pitch five times this season, and three have happened to come against the Cardinals, including two against Mikolas. Cain exchanged words with St. Louis' bench before trotting to first base in what was a scoreless half-inning for Milwaukee.
With two outs in the bottom of the frame, Brewers starter Wade Miley threw a first pitch behind the legs of Cardinals right fielder Tyler O'Neill, prompting home-plate umpire Cory Blaser to warn both benches. Miley was incensed, and when Counsell joined the argument, he was ejected.
"I went out there and was told I would get a brief explanation, and then it got into, 'Well, coming into this series, we knew there were going to be problems," Counsell said. "If that's the case, then after my guy has been squared up in the back three times by their team -- then do something about it when that happens."

Both Mikolas and Miley pled innocence.
"I'm never trying to hit anybody," Mikolas said. "I think I hit him accidentally last time we played them. Maybe he was upset about that? No one likes getting hit."
Said Cardinals interim manager Mike Shildt: "Listen, he got drilled earlier in the year, as well. Clearly unintentional, but nonetheless, it happened. Miles is trying to go in. It's a big part of his game, which I appreciate about his game. The ball ran in and got him again. The guy is throwing mid-90s, and I can't blame Cain for taking exception with it. He was frustrated by it. I didn't have any issue about the way he reacted to it. We're just playing baseball."
Likewise, Miley insisted his extremely wayward fastball that bounced behind O'Neill's feet was just an accident.
"Everybody can speculate what they want to speculate. Like, I'm not trying to hit O'Neill in that situation," Miley said. "First inning, that's a free ticket out of the game. I'm not trying to get ejected and throw nine innings on our bullpen. That's all I told [Blaser]. Like, 'Cory, you need to have a little better feel.' But he's just trying to do his job."
After Sunday's series finale, the Brewers and Cardinals meet again at Busch Stadium for three games in the final week of September.