It came as no surprise to Allen Craig on Tuesday to hear that the Cardinals hit into more double plays this season than any other Major League team. Craig knows that very well after hitting into a critical one in the eighth inning of Game 3.

The last time he pitched for Garner High School back home in North Carolina, Scotty McCreery threw a complete game and struck out nine. Then he was told, "You're going to Hollywood," and they gave him a number and sent him on his way to eventual glory.

Tony La Russa was a genius just two days ago. He pushed all the right buttons in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. On Tuesday, in what might be the Cardinals' most important game of 2011, La Russa pushed the wrong button, and it led to a jarring setback — a tense 3-2 Philadelphia victory.

A 3-1 loss to the Phillies sent St. Louis to the brink of elimination on Tuesday night, as the Cardinals trail, 2-1, in the best-of-five National League Division Series.

Back in 2005, Roy Oswalt clinched the National League pennant for the Astros in his previous playoff appearance in St. Louis. At the same site and on a similar stage, Oswalt will make his playoff return to St. Louis with a chance to send the Phillies to the NL Championship Series.

The Phillies' bullpen backed six scoreless innings from starting pitching Cole Hamels by walking the tightrope in the final three innings before nailing down Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

Already trailing by two runs in the top of the ninth inning on Tuesday, the Cardinals avoided a potentially messy inning when home-plate umpire Jerry Layne overturned a call on a diving catch in center field by Skip Schumaker.

Ben Francisco went from a forgotten man on the roster to October hero with one sweet swing of the bat Tuesday night. And he put the Phillies within a game of reaching the National League Championship Series in the process.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa batted .500 on Tuesday in terms of the outcomes of the two intentional walks that he ordered during in Game 3 of the National League Division Series at Busch Stadium.

The D-backs honored Michael Wogan, the 22-year-old who lost his life in the Reno Air Show tragedy on Sept. 16, by officially naming their season ticket scholarship program after him Tuesday.

Red Sox owner John Henry wrote via Twitter on Tuesday night that the Red Sox might begin interviewing managerial candidates next week.

Craig Counsell has returned to Chase Field dozens of times since celebrating the D-backs' World Series championship 10 years ago, but his first postseason visit since then is conjuring a particularly vivid set of memories.

One Cardinals hitter after another repeated their late-season gripes about the challenges of hitting in the late afternoon at Busch Stadium following the 4 p.m. CT start.

Alex Avila described his knee injury as a tweak. Jim Leyland described it as a sore patella. Some wondered if it was something worse.

Kirk Gibson said the noise inside Miller Park for Games 1 and 2 made communication between the dugout and the players on the field difficult.

Ian Kennedy seemed puzzled by the question. "What I said about [Jonathan] Lucroy?" he asked "I don't remember saying anything about him."

The Rays' remarkable late-season run came to an end on Tuesday after their offense went into an early hiberation as the American League Division Series returned to Florida for Games 3 and 4.