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Entering September, the Braves were 80-55, in clear command of the NL wild-card race, leading the Cardinals by 8.5 games. Somewhere, Cheap Ken Griffey Jr Shoes the nightmare began, like that recurring dream in which you drive a car off the side of a mountain. Over and over and over again. But not all dreams are nightmares. For every 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers, there’s a 1951 New York Giants. For every 2007 New York Mets, there’s a 2007 Philadelphia Phillies. This story is also about a St. Louis team that has overcome a shaky bullpen and some injuries of its own. While the Braves have averaged just 3.2 runs per game while going 9-17 this month, the Cardinals have gone 17-8. Albert Pujols Nike Zoom Kobe VI has led the way, hitting .366 with 20 RBIs; Lance Berkman has an on-base percentage over .450; Kyle Lohse, Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia (recovering from a terrible August) have combined to go 7-0 with an ERA under 2.50. But as Tuesday night’s victory over the Astros showed, the Cardinals -- unlike the Braves -- are getting contributions from deep in the roster. For a few minutes on Tuesday, the Braves did appear like they would get a reprieve. The Phillies had knocked around Derek Lowe and were well on their way to a 7-1 win. But the Astros had jumped to a 5-0 lead after three innings. Atlanta would enter the final day of the season with a one-game lead; after all, Nike Air Maxes 2011 when leading after three innings, teams have won 72 percent of the time this season. That’s when leading by any margin; when leading by five runs, the percentage is much higher. Yes, the Astros are the worst team in the league, but a five-run lead should be safe. But this Cardinals team keeps on attacking. Nick Punto, filling in for Rafael Furcal at shortstop (Furcal pulled a hamstring on Monday), went 4-for-5. Allen Craig, so valuable all season in a utility role, replaced Matt Holliday after one at-bat when Holliday felt discomfort again in his injured hand. Craig went 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs, four RBIs, a home run and did the laundry after the game. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa used seven relievers and 23 players. That’s why the Cardinals feel like the playoff team of destiny. They’re the better team right now. They have the stars; Ken Griffey Jr Shoes they have more depth. They have Pujols -- and he has that look in his eyes.