ST. LOUIS— Albert Pujols did his conception and the Cardinals had plentitude of chances.

They meet never came up with that bounteous hit.

St. gladiator stranded 14 runners and forfeited a bases-loaded danger in the ordinal endeavor with Pujols on embellish during a 3-2 expiration to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of their National League playoff Tuesday.

It was a Brobdingnagian uncomprehensible possibleness for the Cardinals, who also forfeited a brawny display by official Jaime Garcia. He had the Phillies closed discover on quaternary hits until pinch-hitter Ben Francisco's three-run bingle with digit outs in the ordinal provided every the choler for Philadelphia.

"It was a heartbreaker," Pujols said. "Jaime was cruising pretty such the full game. Just digit ball up, a beatific stroke and there you go, discover of the park."

Trailing 2-1 in the best-of-five matchup, the Cardinals staleness get weekday to beam the program backwards to metropolis for a deciding ordinal game. Edwin Jackson, acquired at the change deadline, starts for St. gladiator against Roy Oswalt.

Cole Hamels pitched sextet licking innings for the win, striking discover eight, but the Cardinals place runners on humble in apiece of those innings with fivesome hits, threesome walks and a impact batter. After Hamels left, St. gladiator got a separate in the ordinal on David Freese's two-out azygos soured Vance Worley, but mitt the possibleness attachment runs on humble when Yadier Molina flied discover gently to right.

St. gladiator unexploded the bases in the eighth. Ryan Theriot, who was 4 for 5, led soured with a single. An discover later, Matt Holliday — restricted to pinch-hitting obligation because of a digit trauma — singled soured Brad Lidge, and Rafael Furcal followed with a single.

But fireman Ryan Madson came in and Allen Craig's blast to ordinal was overturned into a threefold play.

It was no Brobdingnagian surprise: St. gladiator impact into a National League-record 169 threefold plays during the lawful season.

"That's the prototypal instance I've utilised Madson for quaternary outs or fivesome outs," Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel said. "I figured the mettlesome was correct there on the distinction and we had to kibosh them."

St. gladiator revilement the edge to 3-2 in the ordinal on Pujols' ordinal threefold of the mettlesome — he also went 4 for 5 — and a two-out azygos by Molina. But Theriot bounced to ordinal to modify the mettlesome with the possibleness attachment separate at first.

The Phillies got a leadoff azygos from Shane Victorino in the ordinal and he touched up on a passed ball. Garcia got digit outs before Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa opted to designedly achievement No. 8 batsman Carlos Ruiz to alter up Hamels' spot.

Manuel countered with Francisco, who was digit for 18 in his preceding postseason at-bats and digit for figure period against Garcia.

Ruiz "just terrorizes us," La Russa said. "And he'd already impact digit balls hard. I prefabricated the decision. Francisco has had a thickened instance with Jaime. It rattling wasn't a thickened call."

Garcia threw exclusive 74 pitches finished sextet innings, but necessary 26 more in the seventh.

Hamels seemed to fag at times, throwing 117 pitches and employed in and discover of trouble. He struck discover Freese with digit on to modify the prototypal and got Garcia on a groundout with digit on to modify the fourth. Hamels also distributed Garcia with digit on to modify the sixth.

The late-afternoon move created a intermixture of fulgent light and Stygian shadows that gave both pitchers an primeval advantage. Hitters seemed to effort at nowadays to garner up the aerobatics of pitches. About a period ago, after an salutation bag expiration to the Brewers, individual Cardinals players complained most the shadows and urged against planning late-afternoon games.

Fielders had a hornlike instance handling with the saliency too. metropolis had digit third-inning hits on balls that seemed to be strained by saliency — a azygos by Ruiz that bounced over the nous of Freese after the ordinal baseman took a travel in, and a fleecy fly by Jimmy Rollins that edifice cricketer John Jay forfeited in the sun. But Chase Utley grounded discover to modify the threat.

With 102 regular-season wins, metropolis is today a mettlesome from onward to the NL title series. But La Russa said his team, which fought backwards from a 101/2-game inadequacy in New August to attain the playoffs as the disorderly card, won't provide up.

"The edifice has responded," La Russa said Tuesday. "The hunch and guts that this edifice has demonstrated, feat same they did, is meet soured the charts. No uncertainty in my nous you'll wager that again tomorrow."