MLB Live Blog: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Houston Astros, NL Wild Card on the Line

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Double play! Philadelphia wins, 4-3, in 13 innings.

After leading by 10.5 games, the Braves are eliminated. The Cardinals complete the biggest September comeback in baseball history.

Sit back and enjoy the champagne, boys. You've earned it.

Big runners on first for the Braves and Rays. The Braves' can tie it, the Rays' can win it.

Chipper Jones strikes out. One away. The Braves have four hits since the eighth.

Two outs away from both the biggest September comeback and collapse in baseball history.

4-3 Phillies, middle of the 13th.

7-7 in St. Petersburg, bottom of the 11th.

3-2 Red Sox, top of the ninth.

It is what it is.

In Atlanta, Hunter Pence swings with two outs and men on the corners. He brings that bat, that swing that's far from majestic, that awkward stance, all of it through the zone. The ball gets in on his hand and snaps his bat into pieces. It doesn't matter, because the ball floats into right, barely landing out past Uggla's glove.

In Houston, a group of red-clad men sit on couches in the visitor's clubhouse.

The ball touches down on the turf and Uggla's glove slaps the ground. He gets up, but it's too late, the run has crossed. 4-3, Philadelphia.

The couch is emptied, and the clubhouse is filled.

The Cardinals are three outs away from October, and they have to watch from the couch.

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The winning run is at first with two outs for former Red Sox and Yankee, and current Ray, Johnny Damon. With one swing, he can crush both of his former teams. B.J. Upton stands at first.

Damon lifts a long fly ball just foul, and the entire crowd rises to their feet. However, baseball is a game of inches, in this case about 72 of them. He's set down and the Yankees get ready to bat in the top of the 11th.

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Chase Utley's up with a man on first and two gone. The game's made its way to the 13th, and the wear is visible on both teams. Philadelphia is playing their 31st game in 33 days, and the Braves have been terrible down the stretch. This marathon isn't helping either manager's hairline.

Elsewhere, the game's back on in Baltimore, and the Red Sox are gripping tight onto their 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth.

It seems like Tony LaRussa is the only manager who will sleep soundly tonight.

With the winning run 90 feet away, Prado chops a ball past the mound, but defensive wizard Wilson Valdez scoops it up on the run and gets Prado by the length of Fredi Gonzalez's locks at first.

The game is headed for the 13th inning.

The 2-2 pitch gets away from Schneider and the winning run gets to third with two out.

Chipper Jones is on deck.

Brooks Conrad strikes out looking, and Turner Field goes silent.

Michael Bourn, the former Phillie, is intentionally walked to bring up Martin Prado, and the crowd erupts in a well tuned chorus of boos. This is October baseball in every sense except the calendar.

Meanwhile, Tampa has retired New York in the top of the tenth, and they'll have the chance to win in the bottom of the inning.

Wilson Valdez grounds out to second to end the inning for Philadelphia.

In the bottom of the inning, Jason Heyward leads off with a single to right, and Jack Wilson bunts him over to second.

With Brooks Conrad at bat and the winning run on second with one out, the Braves appear to be in striking position.

While the Rays have tied it up with an impossible comeback, the Braves are still clawing at a playoff spot.

Currently one half game back of St. Louis, the Braves are tied with Philadelphia heading into the twelfth. Craig Kimbrel blew his eighth save in the ninth, and the teams have exchanged singles since.

Both teams are using up their bullpens.

Dan Uggla starts a double play to erase a leadoff base hit. Wilson Valdez will bat with two outs and the bases empty.

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The Rays get a line-drive home run by Dan Johnson!

Johnson cements his place as the best clutch hitter in Rays history with his second pinch-hit home run to save the Rays' playoff hopes in four years. His blast at Fenway  saved Tampa's magical 2008 season, and he's done it again. He ties it, 7-7 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth!

Sean Rodriguez follows up with an infield hit. Desmond Jennings grounds to second. We're going to EXTRA INNINGS! AGAIN.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals have received a gem from their ace to keep their season alive, the Braves are in an extra-inning nail-biter headed to the bottom of the 11th, and the Red Sox have to wait out the agonizing rain delay in Baltimore. And any two of these four teams will play in October.

And you wanted playoff expansion.

Chase Utley steals second easily, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position. Varvarro intentionally walks Hunter Pence to bring up Michael Martinez.

Martinez popped out with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth. The Braves have walked seven Phillies since the eighth inning. Luckily, it's only lead to one run.

Tampa Bay is down to their final out against Mo Rivera and the Yankees.

Boston still leads 3-2, in a rain delay.

The Braves bring on Varvarro to pitch the eleventh, and he walks Chase Utley with two outs to face Hunter Pence, who broke a tie for the league lead in assists when he threw out Dan Uggla at home earlier in this game.

Meanwhile in Tampa, the Rays have come back with a six-run eighth to make it 7-6, New York. Mariano Rivera will come out to pitch the bottom of the ninth with serious implications for Tampa Bay.

In Houston, Chris Carpenter has pitched a complete game, striking out eleven against two hits and one walk.

The Cardinals bullpen gets some much needed rest, and they'll be needed against either Atlanta tomorrow or Philadelphia on Friday.

In perhaps the tensest moment in an already tense Braves season, Chipper Jones follows up a Martin Prado strikeout by lifting a 3-2 pitch deep to center.

Michael Martinez tracks the ball back, and makes a running catch at the warning track. He's barely able to stop himself from crashing, arms flailing, into the wall.

With that catch, the game continues into the 11th.

Eric Hinske pops out, but Michael Bourn follows up with his third hit of the game.

Suddenly, Turner Field goes from complete silence to an eruption of one of the most annoying traditions in sports: the Tomahawk Chop.

It's only the Braves' second hit since the fourth inning.

Medlen stays on for the top of the tenth and gives up one base runner but otherwise finishes off the Phillies handily.

Michael Schwimmer is warming up for Philadelphia.

3-3 heading to the bottom of the tenth.

Meanwhile, Albert Pujols popped up in what looks to be his final at-bat, leaving him 1-for-5 tonight, and under .300 and 100 RBIs this season.

Allen Craig also crushes his second home run in as many nights.

St. Louis leads, 8-0. Chris Carpenter will pitch the bottom of the ninth, giving St. Louis's bullpen some well-deserved and much-needed rest.

Michael Stutes retires the side in the bottom of the ninth. Free baseball in Atlanta! It will be Orr, Ibanez, and

Meanwhile, Chris Carpenter has nonchalantly picked up his eleventh strikeout, and the Cardinals are holding steady at 7-0 going into the ninth.

In the AL, Tampa's losing to New York 7-0 at home, and the Red Sox and Orioles are waiting out a rain delay in Baltimore. Boston leads 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh.

Kris Medlen gets Michael Martinez to pop out in foul territory.

The Braves have a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth.

If not, the game goes to extras.

At this point, any outcome is good for St. Louis. Assuming they hold on to their seven-run lead, the Cardinals will face the winner of Philadelphia-Atlanta, and both teams are depleting their bullpens as this game inches further into the night.

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Pence walks on four pitches, and Fredi Gonzalez walks out to the mound to yank Kimbrel in favor of Kris Medlen. Medlen has only pitched  one inning this season after returning from Tommy John surgery.

Michael Martinez will bat with the bases loaded and two outs.

If the Braves lose this game, they only have Craig Kimbrel to blame. If they miss the playoffs, it can be considered a team effort.

Meanwhile, Chris Carpenter just struck out his tenth batter to end the seventh. It's still 7-0, St. Louis.

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Chase Utley lifts a deep fly ball to left field. Not quite deep enough to score four, but good enough for a sac fly. The game is tied, 3-3 in the ninth.

Ryan Howard to bat.

Another full-count, this time to Rollins. Kimbrel is having a horrible time trying to locate his pitches.

Rollins draws a walk. Bases are loaded with one out for Chase Utley.

The go-ahead run is in scoring position.

Ben Francisco works another full count, but is able to lay off ball four.

It's first and second now for the top of the Phillies lineup.

Jimmy Rollins can tie this game with a base hit.

In St. Louis, it's 7-0, and Carpenter continues to dominate.

Lost connection on my laptop.

I've moved to a desktop. Victorino bounced into a double play to end the top of the eighth.

Now, in the top of the ninth, Polanco led off the a single and lifted him for pinch runner Pete Orr.

Next, Craig Kimbrel struck out Carlos Ruiz on a full-count fastball up out of the zone.

Ben Francisco is up for the Phillies. He has seven pinch-hits this season.