Are They Alive Or Are They Dead?

The Cardinals spent a long, quiet evening kissing the game — and their season — goodnight, losing 5-1 to the Cubs as the Reds effectively — if the Cardinals’ pantomimes Monday were any indication — clinched the division with a win over the Diamondbacks. The Cardinal loss, which puts them seven games behind the Reds again, included much of what has characterized the team’s demise this year: Some strong individual performances punctuated by hapless team play, like erratic fielding and syncopated hitting, as well as some old-fashioned bad luck.

Fungoes