Houston rallied to tie the Cardinals in the ninth, and beat them in ten innings, 8-6. The loss has importance for two reasons: First, the Cardinals now trail San Francisco by a game and a half for the best overall record. Second, and this reason has more to do with aesthetics, the Cardinals now will have the opportunity to celebrate their division clinching win on the field in front of their fans. The Giants beat the Reds last night, meaning if the Cardinals had won, they would have clinched the division late last night. Instead, the magic number is one, and the Cards can wrap it up with a win over Houston tonight. In last night’s loss to Houston, Jeff Bagwell doubled home a run in the ninth to tie the game at 5, and Chris Truby hit a three-run homer off Gene Stechschulte in the tenth.
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