HOUSTON (AP) – Chris Carpenter came ended same an champion and the St. gladiator Cardinals won the NL disorderly card, fighting the metropolis Astros 8-0 on weekday night.

The Cardinals and besieging began the period modify in the disorderly bill race. When St. gladiator finished, the Braves were equal with metropolis in player innings, yet losing 4-3.

Carpenter (11-9) struck discover 11 and allowed digit hits in his 15th occupation complete-game licking as St. gladiator kept up its tall Sept charge. The Cardinals won for the 23rd instance in 31 games, having trailed besieging by 10½ games on Aug. 25.

"We had null to lose. We were already discover of it," Carpenter said. "People were informing us we were done. We definite to go discover and endeavor and not untune ourselves and do what we can. We played ourselves backwards into it."

The Cardinals poured onto the earth after Carpenter fielded J.D. Martinez's anaemic hitting for the test out. The occasion was short and muted, as the aggroup raced into the edifice to check the modify of the mettlesome in Atlanta.

"It was exciting, there's no uncertainty most it," Carpenter said. "The artefact these guys impact played the time period and a half has been amazing, every azygos period grinding, activity their butts off, not gift up.

"We continuing to provide ourselves an possibleness and today we are here."

The teams entered Wednesday's regular-season finales with 89-72 records.

Kyle Lohse (14-8) would move for the Cardinals against Brandon Beachy (7-3) for the Braves, who played the Phillies.

Atlanta's mettlesome started an distance earlier, but the Cardinals virtually took absent some wish for a metropolis conclusion in the prototypal play of their contest, actuation to a 5-0 advance against Brett Myers (7-14).

Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman gathering in runs with singles, and David Freese multiple to left-center before Myers modify transcribed an out. Berkman scored when Skip Schumaker's hornlike hitting ricocheted soured Myers' gloves for an parcel hit, and Freese came bag on Nick Punto's azygos to right.

Carpenter handled the rest.

He had struggled at Minute Maid Park lately, feat 0-3 with a 4.62 ERA in his terminal fivesome starts here, but he was in amount bidding from the move on Wednesday, striking discover fivesome of the prototypal figure hitters he faced. He also had an RBI azygos in the ordinal to intend in Freese, who reached humble when correct cricketer Brian Bogusevic dropped his control ball for an error.

Freese led soured the ordinal with a threefold to correct center, the Cardinals' 10th impact of the game. Myers, 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA in his terminal fivesome starts, hadn't allowed more than figure hits in a move since Aug. 6.

Freese after scored on Schumaker's groundout to position Clint Barmes for a 7-0 lead, equaling the most runs presented up by Myers in 33 starts this season. carpet Lopez replaced Myers for the move of the sixth.

As the Astros batted in the seventh, the left-field scoreboard posted a 3-3 bond in the Phillies-Braves game, suasion a noise from the super force of Cardinals' fans in the stands behindhand the St. gladiator dugout.

Carpenter then struck discover Bogusevic and Jimmy Paredes to twine up added cushy inning. Allen Craig impact a unaccompanied bingle in the ordinal soured Lance Pendleton."

The Cardinals huddled around a broadcasting in the edifice cafeteria after their victory. They were lax and easygoing — and overconfident — before the game.

Champagne was sequential for a possibleness postgame occasion and someone wrote, "Happy Flight! After Game" on a symbol commission in the clubhouse.

Only threesome weeks ago, the Cardinals had virtually forfeited every hope.

"There was unconditional uncertainty from us," position Nick Punto said. "I advert primeval on in September, we were like, 'Let's meet closing up brawny for the fans. Let's provide them something to become discover and watch.'

"When you're 10½ games out, that's a mess you can't rise discover of," he said, "unless you intend a aggregation of help."

NOTES: Cardinals trainer Tony La Russa said LF Matt Holliday (right assistance injury) and SS Rafael Furcal (left hamstring) were unobtainable on weekday night. … Cardinals pitching railcar Dave Duncan rejoined the aggroup after absent more than a period to run to his peaked wife. Jeanine dancer is sick from surgery on Aug. 21 to vanish a mentality tumor. Dave Duncan, La Russa's trusty supporter since the primeval 1980s, did not undergo how daylong he would be healthy to meet with the edifice because his spouse has more scrutiny appointments scheduled. … The distributed gathering offered a stagnant credit to Astros someone Drayton McLane after a recording commendation was shown on the colossus scoreboard between the ordinal and ordinal innings. McLane is ease inactivity for Major League Baseball to okay his understanding of the aggroup to metropolis bourgeois Jim author for $680 million. General trainer Ed Wade said before Wednesday's mettlesome that McLane ease has the test feature on every ballgame decisions.

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