The St. Louis Cardinals won their third straight National League Central title on Sunday despite a 5-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, backing into the playoffs thanks to Houston's loss in Atlanta.

But the Cardinals, who lost nine of their last 12, avoided perhaps the biggest September collapse in major league history when the Astros were eliminated with a 3-1 loss to the Braves. The final out in that game came with one out in the bottom of the fifth and the Brewers leading 5-0, prompting a huge ovation from a sellout crowd. Relieved manager Tony La Russa handed out congratulatory hugs in the dugout.

La Russa gambled in the regular-season finale by holding back ace Chris Carpenter for a possible playoff opener, reasoning that his struggling team needed two starts by the 15-game winner in the first round to have a chance against either the Dodgers or Padres in a series that starts Tuesday on the road.

The Brewers knocked out replacement starter Anthony Reyes, 24, in the first inning.

eyes (5-8), pitching on three days rest, retired only two hitters and gave up homers to Prince Fielder and Geoff Jenkins in a four-run first. Carpenter would have pitched Monday in the makeup of a rainout against the Giants if the Astros had won, but now he'll be rested for the playoff opener and could pitch on regular rest in Game 4.

The Cardinals had a seven-game lead with 12 to play, and the cushion had dwindled to a half-game before a 10-5 victory over the Brewers on Friday coupled with a Houston loss.

They finished 83-78, their worst record since going 75-86 in 1999 and the worst record an NL Central champion. The Padres won the NL West at 82-80 last year.

After the final out, Cardinals players celebrated on the field, exchanging hugs on the field beneath confetti shot into the air by the team mascot, Fredbird. Most fans stood and applauded, giving the Cardinals the biggest cheer when they left the field.

The Cardinals reduced their magic number to one on pinch-hitter Scott Spiezio's bases-loaded triple in the eighth off Francisco Cordero in a 3-2 on Saturday, and got a go-ahead, three-run homer from Albert Pujols that beat the Padres on Wednesday. There were no such heroics on Sunday against rookie Carlos Villanueva, who held them to five hits in 8 1-3 innings.

Chris Duncan and Pujols hit consecutive solo homers in the ninth for the Cardinals. It was the 22nd for Duncan in his rookie year. Pujols finished the season with 49.

Cordero got the final two out. He allowed a solo shot to Spiezio.

Villanueva (2-2) threw seven innings of three-hit ball against the Cardinals on Sept. 20, getting a no-decision in a 1-0 Brewers victory. He's in his third stint with Milwaukee this year after spending nearly all of last season at single-A.

The Cardinals finished 83-78 after consecutive 100-win seasons, including the franchise's first World Series appearance in 17 years in 2004 before being swept by the Red Sox.

Fielder's two-run shot in the first gave him 28 homers for the season, two more than the previous high for a rookie and son of a major leaguer. He homered in two of the last three games.

Jenkins hit his 17th homer and Corey Hart tripled and scored on David Bell's single to chase Reyes after only seven hitters. Mike Rivera homered in the fourth to make it 5-0.

Villanueva struck out four and walked one in the longest outing of his career.

Notes: The Cardinals sold out the entire first season at new Busch Stadium with an attendance of 3,407,104, the second-largest in team history . . . Hundreds of fans attended a re-dedication ceremony for busts of the team's greats that were relocated from old Busch Stadium. All of the team's living Hall of Famers, except for Bruce Sutter, circled the warning track in convertibles before the game . . . The Astros had the previous worst first-place record in the NL Central, going 84-78 in 1997 . . . The Cardinals have won three straight championships for the first time since winning three pennants from 1942-'44.