Cardinals Leave Chase With Whimper, 4-1

The St. Louis Cardinals exited the National League East race with customary silence from their bats.

The Cardinals, who struggled to overcome injuries all season, were eliminated Tuesday night from the race as they lost to Pittsburgh, 4-1, while Chicago beat Montreal to clinch the division title.

St. Louis’ loss clinched a tie for the Cubs, and Chicago finished the job a little later with a 3-2 victory over the Expos at Olympic Stadium.

The Cardinals are 11-43 when they score three or fewer runs.

“We just didn’t score enough,” Manager Whitey Herzog said. “You look at the three teams that were in it and faded, it was the same thing. The Mets, Montreal and us, we just didn’t score enough.”

Herzog showed no emotion as the Cardinals’ hopes faded. He dug into his usual plate of postgame food.

“I’ve had a lot of years when I didn’t win it,” he said.

Herzog pointed to last weekend as the time when the race turned. The Cardinals swept the Phillies but gained no ground on the Cubs, who took three games from the Pirates.

“That was the whole key to our chances,” Herzog said. “We had to get some help there.”

“It seemed like every time we won, they won,” third baseman Terry Pendleton said. “We’d lose and they’d lose. And then we didn’t help ourselves.”

The Cardinals lost 12 of 17 games to fifth-place Pittsburgh this season.

Bob Patterson (4-2) gave up four hits in eight innings, and Bill Landrum got the last three outs for his 26th save.

“If you keep their speed off the bases you have a chance to win,” Patterson said.

The Cardinals stayed close throughout the season despite playing without injured starting pitchers Danny Cox and Greg Mathews.

Bobby Bonilla, who has 11 extra base hits and has scored 10 runs in his last 13 games, tripled and doubled and scored twice for Pittsburgh.