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Diamondbacks eliminated, Dodgers win NL West title

Sep 26, 2008 - 12:03 AM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- A season that started so promisingly for the Arizona Diamondbacks is ending with a thud.

The reigning National League West Division champions were officially eliminated with Thursday's 12-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The victory enabled the Los Angeles Dodgers to clinch the division title, their first since 2004. The Dodgers took control of the division race in September while Arizona faltered.

"We had a great start to the year, but you have to do more than that - a lot more - and we simply fell down," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "Then, when we need to do something at the end, we didn't get enough - not enough offense, not enough pitching, not enough anything. This should not have ended like this."

The Diamondbacks managed just four hits in their elimination game, giving up 10 unanswered runs after taking a 3-2 lead. Leo Rosales (1-1), the second of six Arizona pitchers, took the loss, surrendering two runs in the sixth.

"That was disgusting," Arizona first baseman Conor Jackson said. "It was embarrassing - you can't pitch, you can't hit, you won't win games. It was embarrassing. And at the end of it all, it is all we deserve. We weren't good enough, bottom line, and there's nothing more you can say."

Albert Pujols snapped a 3-3 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, then ended the Diamondbacks' hopes with a three-run home run that made it 9-3 one inning later.

St. Louis starter Joel Pineiro (7-7) earned the win, allowing three runs and seven hits in seven innings. The Cardinals took three of four in the series.

"That showed you what (Pineiro) is capable of ... what he can do," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "He left a couple of breaking pitches up, but he was very solid and he fielded his position well."

After reaching the league championship series last year, the Diamondbacks were seen as a favorite to repeat in the West, especially with a rotation that included Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and Randy Johnson.

Following the first month, Arizona appeared ready to run away with the division, posting a 20-8 record. Since then, however, they are just 59-72. Thursday's loss dropped Arizona (79-80) back under .500.

"You can't win a division in April. It's the first month - that's all it is," Arizona catcher Chris Snyder said. "We hit some tough skids there, we had our chances to put it away and it just didn't pan out. This is a shame."

The Diamondbacks were plagued by an anemic offense for most of the season, ranking 13th in the NL in batting (.251) and 10th in runs scored (703) entering Thursday's game.

The Diamondbacks had a 4 1/2-game lead over Los Angeles on August 29, but lost five of six to the Dodgers during a stretch in which they dropped nine of 11 games to doom their hopes.

In an attempt to boost the offense, Arizona obtained Adam Dunn, who is tied for second in the National League in home runs with 38, on waivers from the Cincinnati Reds on August 12. But Dunn's impact has been minimal, as he batted only .237 with six home runs and 24 RBI in his first 40 games with the Diamondbacks.

Thursday's loss dropped Arizona to 19-22 with Dunn in the lineup.

To add insult to injury, Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds set a major record Thursday with his 200th strikeout of the season in the second inning. He struck out again in the seventh.

"We couldn't move runners the last three days, and then our pitching and defense failed," Melvin said. "Not being able to get the win here in the next three days is very frustrating. Mark (Reynolds) had a big hit, knocked in a couple of runs, and then the game got out of hand."