MLB.com

		Jim Edmonds watches his two-run tater leave the park against Arizona's Miguel Batista during the fourth inning.

A 5-3 St. Louis loss in Game 3 furthered by what Edmonds called "the most frustrating at-bat of my career" can do that to one's mood.

This was a game the Redbirds controlled, thanks to Edmonds, who in the top of the fourth threw out a Diamondback runner at the plate and in the bottom homered St. Louis into a 2-0 lead.

And after the D-Backs surged on top with Craig Counsell's ode to Bucky Dent, this was a game the Redbirds could reclaim -- again through Edmonds, who got his shot at teetering Arizona closer Byung-Hyun Kim in the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded and two down.

With Arizona's sweaty fingers around a 5-3 lead, Kim had taken over with two on after Mike Morgan had walked J.D. Drew on four straight pitches. Kim then did only slightly better, taking fivepitches to walk Albert Pujols and load the bases.

Edmonds took a ball, then lashed out at the next pitch.

"I knew I missed it," Edmonds said, shaking his head. "The ball's out over the plate. I had a chance to hit it, and I didn't."

Actually, he did hit it. Actually, he did hit it hard, whistling a liner into right-center which center-fielder Reggie Sanders gloved after a short run.

So when Edmonds says it was a pitch he had a chance to hit, you know he means, "hit out."

"That was probably the most frustrating at-bat of my whole career," said Edmonds, who has had more than 3,700 of them. "I don't know what the pitch was ... slider, I guess. He made a pitch I could've hit, and I didn't. He won, so you've got to tip your hat to him."

To the untrained eye, it looked like one of the better at-bats of Edmonds' career. He got the meat of the ball from a guy who throws the way a snake slithers. With his wicked 30-degree delivery, Kim isn't underhanded so much as he is dishonest.

Not even the chance to watch from the on-deck circle as he worked the preceding batter was of much help -- not when you haven't seen the guy in six months.

"Naw, any time you face him, it's tough," Edmonds said. "He throws the ball from places most people don't, and the ball runs up and out and in."

He sighed. "That's the way it goes. We didn't finish them off when we had the chance, and we ended up losing."

Edmonds' two-run smash off Miguel Batista gave them a start, but there was no finishing kick. The Cardinals did not score again until the D-Backs had already busted loose, with Edgar Renteria's solo homer in the seventh making it a two-run game.

When they've got it going, three runs is a bad inning for the Cardinals, not a night's work. They have now totaled seven runs in the first three games of the series -- not quite a Houston Astros-caliber disappearance, but still notable.

"I think we're better than we're playing now," Edmonds said. "We're swinging at a lot of bad pitches ... doing a lot of things that are uncharacteristic. Whatever you want to call it.

"We're still having trouble scoring runs, and that's the bottom line. And they came up with some big hits, we didn't, so we deserved to lose. We're just not doing our jobs. It's frustrating; it really is."

Adding to Friday's frustration was the precision of the Cardinals' play right up to Counsell's shocker.

Edmonds' defensive gem in the top of the fourth drew his first standing ovation from the crowd of 52,273 -- the first NL sellout of the postseason. The play was that big.

St. Louis starter Darryl Kile had helped the Diamondbacks to a two-out rally by walking both Mark Grace and Matt Williams in front of Steve Finley, who lined a single to center. Edmonds charged in, scooped the ball in perfect rhythm and mailed a one-hopper home that erased Grace -- his name, after all, isn't Mark Speed.

Not only did the throw keep the game scoreless, but prevented the Diamondbacks from cashing in only their second hit of the series in 17 chances with men in scoring position (both by Finley).

"Jimmy does a great job of getting a jump on the ball. He gets to it quick, gets rid of it quick and has a good arm," said catcher Mike Matheny, who received the ball in perfect tag position. "He is usually right on. He's always been good at that. He works hard on his throwing and it pays off in situations like that.

"Jimmy is capable of doing some amazing things out there, and he had a great night."

By the end of nine, it didn't feel that great. Edmonds felt lower than the low-five he'd given Craig Paquette after crossing the plate on his homer.

"We didn't finish them off. We didn't score runs when we had the chance. We didn't take advantage with big hits," he said. "But you've got to give them some respect; they're making their pitches and doing their jobs."

After losing a Game 3 at home after splitting the first two games of a series for the first in club history -- the Cards had been 4-0 under the circumstances -- they don't even get to sleep on it.

Game 4, weather permitting, is set for noon local time.

"We've got to get up in the morning and play," Edmonds said. "It's that simple. We've got to score some runs."

The quick turnaround could be an asset, a helpful soul pointed out to Edmonds. Get right back on the horse before the pain kicks in?

"It doesn't matter what time it is," Edmonds said dourly. "If we can't get it done, we can't get it done."

Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com.