A 15-2 rout at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds on Monday represented more than a loss for the St. Louis Cardinals. It took away the Cardinals' ability to win their way to the playoffs without requiring help from others, putting them into a more precarious spot for the regular season's final six days. St. Louis (81-75) enters the Tuesday night matchup with Cincinnati a game behind the San Francisco Giants (82-74) for the National League's second wild-card spot.