HOUSTON -- One of the worst months during the tenure of manager Tony La Russa closed Tuesday night for the St. Louis Cardinals with a somewhat fitting second shutout in as many nights. Even La Russa recognized the familiarity of the two losses, saying in his postgame comments to the media that there wasn't much to add.

"This is a real struggle," the manager said. "It's not any fun for anybody. There isn't a whole lot different to discuss (since Monday). We just didn't do enough."

The Cardinals went 11-15 in the month of August. It is the first time since April 2007 that the Cardinals had won as few as 11 games in a month. Near as I can tell from going through the year-by-year several times, this past August was the first non-strike August since the start of divisional play that the Cardinals had fewer than 12 wins. And all the Cardinals have to do to resurrect their playoff aspirations is do something they haven't done in five years.

That is: have a winning September.

The clubhouse will open soon, so please excuse the brevity of this entry (unless you're one who has requested shorter Bird Lands...). This is a swift but pointed look at what's become a habit with the Cardinals. Think closer Ryan Franklin's two September fades is something for the club to be worried about? Perhaps, you need a broader lens. The Cardinals have annually wilted as they near the finish line. This August swoon marks the fifth consecutive season that the Cardinals have scuffled late in the season.

Since 2006, the year the Cardinals recovered in time to go on a World Series-winning surge, the Cardinals have not had a winning finish to the season. Twice it's been confined to September and whatever leftover regular-season games have happened in October. This season, 2008 and that title-run of 2006 all featured an August plummet too -- though the latter two still didn't compare to this one.

The skinny on each:

2006 -- 25-32 in August, September and October combined. Started August +3 1/2 in the standings, got to +7 on Sept. 20 and then finished the season with a +1 1/2 lead on the Houston Astros. They outscored opponents in those three months, 269 to 268.

2007 -- 13-18 in September. On Sept. 7, the Cardinals were back one game in the division race with Adam Wainwright on the mound. They lost and continued to lose on a road trip that swept them out of contention. They finished 7 games out and they needed a five-game winning streak at the end of the season to get there. They were outscored 179 to 141 in the month.

2008 -- 25-26 in August and September. The club started the final two months of the season -4 games in the standing and they nosedived from there, finishing 11 1/2 games back of the Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals outscored opponents during that stretch, 248 to 222.

2009 -- 14-16 in September and October. After a rip-roaring August that saw them win 20 games and streak away with the division title, the Cardinals ambled into the postseason, where they went a quick 0-3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cardinals were up 10 1/2 games at the start of September and through the courtesy of their division finished +7 1/2 despite the sluggish finish. They outscored opponents, 144 to 126.

And then there is this season.

The Cardinals have 32 games remaining, and they will play 31 of them in the final 31 days of the regular season. Three of those games against the Cincinnati Reds, who wake up this morning with a 100-mph reliever in their bullpen and a hearty seven-game lead in the standings.

The last time the Cardinals had a winning September was 2004, when they went 16-12 to close out a 105-win season and catapult them toward the NL pennant.

This year's club will have to be even better in September.

First baseman Albert Pujols was only semi-joking when he suggested the Cardinals must "try to win 30 games in a row. That's it."

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