You’ve heard of Magic Number, the games needed to clinch a post-season spot.  Now I give you the Tragic Number…thanks to my good friend Jeff Wilder.  Any combination of six Cardinals’ losses and/or Mets wins will eliminate the Cardinals.

The Cardinals loss to the Reds 3-0,  thanks to three solo home runs given up by Todd Wellemeyer in the fourth inning.  Wellemeyer only gave up four hits the entire game and was perfect in the first three.  Andy Phillips and Jay Bruce hit back to back shots to lead off the fourth, and Paul Janish just cleared the left field wall with two outs.

Reds’ starter Aaron Harang went the distance giving up just six hits while tossing the shut out.  The Cardinals, just not hitting, scoring just 17 runs in this losing streak with six of them coming in one game.