ST. LOUIS -- All season long, Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny set 10 games over .500 as a target for his team.
St. Louis, on its 10th attempt, finally reached that mark Sunday with a 10-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, but it was too late.
Matt Carpenter hit a home run and Randal Grichuk keyed a six-run seventh-inning with a two-run double to lead St. Louis to its fourth victory in a row.
The Cardinals (86-76) were eliminated while still on the field when San Francisco (87-75) beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1 and earned the second NL wild card.
The Giants meet the New York Mets Wednesday in New York in a one-game playoff, with the winner advancing to the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs.
"That's the danger when it's not in your hands anymore," Matheny said. "Our focus was to take care of our own business, and we did that."
Missing the playoffs ends a five-year post season run for St. Louis, a stretch that included two World Series appearances and one World Series Championship.
St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright allowed 2 runs and 6 hits over 6 innings. He did not get a decision.
"To miss the playoffs by one game -- that's tough to swallow," Wainwright said. "You think about how many times you could've won games, or just one or two games, and you didn't. It gets you to thinking back a little bit."
St. Louis outfielder Matt Holliday was brought into the game to play left field in the ninth inning. He was given a standing ovation and taken out before the first pitch. The Cardinals announced Friday they plan to decline his 2017 option and allow him to become free agent.
"How special was that?" Matheny said. "What instigated it was the response of the fans, so badly they wanted to see him one more time."
St. Louis was a big league-best 100-62 last year but lost to the Chicago Cubs in the Division Series. The Cardinals never led the NL Central at any point this season and finished with a losing record at home (38-43) for the first time since 1999.
"Anytime you don't win the World Series, it's disappointing," infielder Aledmys Diaz said. "But we kept coming and never let down."
"To get close, it definitely makes it a little more disappointing," Carpenter said. "But that's the nature of the business."
Pittsburgh had a streak of three consecutive playoff appearances end after dropping from 98-64 last season to 78-83.
Yadier Molina had three hits for the Cardinals. Stephen Piscotty singled in Molina to break a 4-4 tie in the seventh.
Pittsburgh Manager Clint Hurdle is ready to move on from the disappointing campaign.
"Forty-one years in the game and I honor the game, I respect the game," Hurdle said. "And I've also gotten very good on closing the book when it's time to close the book."
Sports on 10/03/2016