ST. LOUIS — The final piece of the St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen that has been utilized so successfully en route to the World Series spent two days in August without an employer. On Aug. 8, the Texas Rangers decided to cut Arthur Rhodes, the 41-year-old left-handed relief specialist of 20 major-league seasons.

“The Phillies wanted to sign me,” Rhodes said Thursday afternoon, before he blew the save in the Cardinals’ 2-1 loss in Game 2 of the World Series at Busch Stadium. “And they wanted me to go down to (their spring training facility in) Clearwater and get some work in. I told them ‘No.’ Then I decided I was going to sign with St. Louis.”

He joined the Cardinals on Aug. 11. Since then, he has proved to be a useful piece in manager Tony La Russa’s daily bullpen plotting. Rhodes would like to return to this team for next season, then retire.

“I’ve been telling myself that I want to play one more,” Rhodes said. “It doesn’t matter if we win, or when we do win it. I’m coming back, and I want to come back with St. Louis.”

No matter who wins, Rhodes will receive a ring, since his former employer this season is his opponent. The Rangers cut him loose due to his ineffectiveness. Rhodes is not an elite reliever. This season against lefties, his primary responsibility, he has allowed an .873 on-base plus slugging percentage. After the Rangers added Mike Adams and Koji Uehara at the trade deadline, they felt Rhodes was expendable.

“It was just one of those situations where numbers caught us over in Texas, and we had to let Arthur move on,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “And he landed in a great spot, and he’s doing a great job for the St. Louis Cardinals.”

But the Rangers got the best of Rhodes on Thursday night. In the ninth inning, when Texas rallied for two runs, La Russa brought in Rhodes to replace Cardinals closer Jason Motte to face Josh Hamilton with runners on first and third and no one out. Hamilton hit a sac fly that scored the tying run.

That was Rhodes’ only batter and he was charged with a blown save.

La Russa needs spare parts to thrive. Rhodes fills that need. His arrival came two weeks after relievers Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski joined the team via a three-way trade with the Chicago White Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays.

The group of useful relievers allows La Russa to play matchup baseball for much of the game, and reduces his reliance on a starting staff that does not feature much star power right now. Rhodes adds to that mix.

Thursday night was a rare failure in the postseason by the St. Louis bullpen, which had given up just four runs in 31 2/3 innings since the start of the NLCS.

“It’s a real feel-good story for a lot of us because we competed against him so many years,” La Russa said. “And several times our organization talked about adding him in — it just never worked. And you’d see him go someplace else, and you know his reputation, and now you finally have him on your team. What a pro.”

Rhodes was the fourth-eldest player in baseball this season. Only knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (44), infield maven Omar Vizquel (44) and pinch hitter extraordinaire Matt Stairs (43) are older.

Rhodes debuted as a starter with the Baltimore Orioles in 1991. By 1997, he had converted to middle relief, and that season he finished 20th in the American League MVP balloting. Last season, his 19th, he made his first All-Star team with the Cincinnati Reds.

Yet, Wednesday evening was his first appearance in the World Series. He felt his nerves jitter in the bullpen before the game, and then once more before he struck out Josh Hamilton, the left-handed star of the Texas lineup.

“Once I went into the game, it started to hit me more,” Rhodes said. “I think that’s why I threw two straight balls to Josh Hamilton instead of throwing strikes.

“But after the first couple pitches, then I settled down, and it was all over.”

For more World Series coverage, follow Andy McCullough on Twitter at twitter.com/Ledger_NYMets

Andy McCullough: amccullough@starledger.com

Area St. Louis Cardinals fans packed area bars and restaurants with plenty of red Sunday afternoon to cheer on their team in the first game of the National League Championship Series.

Donald Wozniak of Peoria watched the Cardinals’ 9-6 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers from the friendly confines of Johnny Vig’s Scotch and Cigar Lounge with his friend Zach Hedeman and other fans.

“It’s going to be a tough battle against the Brewers, but we have high hopes,” said Wozniak, who inherited his love for St. Louis’ ballclub from his father. “We ended the season on a roll and battled back against the Phillies, so we got some fight in us.”

Beating the team with the best regular season record in baseball in the first round of the playoffs was nice, said Hedeman, but it’s far from over.

“My grandfather grew up in Missouri, so being a Cards fan is a family heritage for me,” the Peorian said.

Peoria resident Jerry Velpel sported a bright red Cardinals pullover at Kouri’s Pub on Sunday to show his pride. He’s been a fan of the team since Stan Musial was setting records for them as a Hall of Fame outfielder in the ’40s and ’50s.

“It was exciting beating the Phillies, but the Brewers are a tough club,” said Velpel, who makes it to Busch Stadium, where the Cardinals play their home games, up to a dozen times a season with friends and family.

Velpel travels down to Fort Myers, Fla., to work for the Minnesota Twins during spring training each year, helping direct autograph seekers and keeping distractions for the ball players to a minimum. He’s a St. Louis Cardinals fan first and foremost, but he’ll go see any team play.

“I’m just an all-around fan of baseball,” he said.

Rob Kenny has been a fan of the Cardinals since he was 4 years old. He said he never once thought they’d make the playoffs this year, so just seeing his squad play Sunday was enjoyable.

“We have experience, so I like their chances, but this is the sixth extra game this season, so that’s a gift in itself for me,” said Kenny, who was born and resides in Peoria but has a loyalty to the baseball team from St. Louis that is unparalleled.

“If I was only allowed to cheer for one team in any sport, I’d cheer for St. Louis Cardinals baseball,” he said.

The Cardinals continue their series against the Brewers on Monday in Milwaukee.

Eric Engel can be reached at 686-3194 or eengel@pjstar.com.

Can the St. Louis Cardinals’ good fortune against the Philadelphia Phillies continue in the National League Division Series?

The Phillies finished with a major league-best 102-62 record this season, yet the Cardinals were 6-3 against them and outscored them 34-32.

A recap of the teams’ meetings in 2011:

May 16 in St. Louis

Cardinals 3, Phillies 1

Jake Westbrook threw one of his best games of the season in outdueling control artist Cliff Lee, who walked a season-high six batters. The Phillies scored their only run against Westbrook in the second on Ben Francisco’s RBI single, but the Cardinals scored two in the fourth and one in the seventh against Lee. Nick Punto and Ryan Theriot had RBI singles in the fourth before Jon Jay’s RBI single in the seventh ending Lee’s outing.

May 17 in St. Louis

Cardinals 2, Phillies 1

Lance Berkman singled against J.C. Romero with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth to score Jay with the winning run. Yadier Molina’s RBI single in the fourth gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead against Roy Oswalt, but the Phillies tied the game with an unearned run against Jaime Garcia in the eighth. Garcia yielded just five hits in eight innings, with one walk and five strikeouts, but did not earn a decision.

June 21 in St. Louis

Phillies 10, Cardinals 2

The Cardinals led 2-1 entering the eighth, but the Phillies scored nine runs against relievers Trever Miller, Jason Motte, Brian Tallet, Miguel Batista and Maikel Cleto and cruised to the one-sided win. Motte hit two batters and forced in a run, and Batista walked in a pair of runs in what turned out to be his final appearance with the Cardinals. He was released the next day.

June 22 in St. Louis

Phillies 4, Cardinals 0

Lee blanked the Cardinals on six hits and benefited from fourth-inning home runs by Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, both against Kyle Lohse. Howard’s came with a man aboard. The only extra-base hit the Cardinals had against Lee was a double by Lohse.

June 23 in St. Louis

Cardinals 12, Phillies 2

This time, it was the Cardinals’ turn for a big eighth inning. Already leading 6-1, they scored six times against Danys Baez to blow open the game. Jay drew a bases-loaded walk, Matt Holliday had a two-run single and Berkman hit a three-run homer. Jay also homered in the first against Oswalt, and Theriot had a two-run single to highlight a three-run second.

Sept. 16 in Philadelphia

Cardinals 4, Phillies 2, 11 innings

Rookie Adron Chambers’ first major-league hit, a single against Michael Schwimer, drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning and Tyler Greene followed with an RBI double. The Phillies had tied the game at 2 in the ninth when Corey Patterson dropped a two-out fly ball. Molina’s home run in the eighth against Antonio Bastardo gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.

Sept. 17 in Philadelphia

Phillies 9, Cardinals 2

Philadelphia plated six runs in the eighth to run away with the win. Raul Ibanez had the big blow, a two-out grand slam against Marc Rzepczynski. St. Louis had just cut a 3-0 deficit to 3-2 in the eighth on RBI singles by Berkman and David Freese against Michael Stutes.

Sept. 18 in Philadelphia

Cardinals 5, Phillies 0

Chris Carpenter threw eight shutout innings, Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer in the first and Allen Craig connected for a two-run shot in the sixth to power the Cardinals. Both homers came against Cole Hamels. All eight Philadelphia hits against Carpenter were singles. Carpenter walked one and struck out five.

Sept. 19 in Philadelphia

Cardinals 4, Phillies 3

Lohse outdueled Cy Young Award candidate Roy Halladay, who surrendered Berkman’s two-run homer in the first. Berkman also had an RBI single in the third, and Pujols rifled an RBI double in the seventh. Lohse allowed seven hits and one unearned run in seven innings, walked one and struck out five. Octavio Dotel got the final out, stranding the tying run at first after the Phillies had scored twice against Motte.

– David Wilhelm

Image: twitter.com

Bianca La Russa, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa’s daughter, is no longer a Raiderette after suffering a career-ending injury.

Here’s what she tweeted yesterday:

I’ve had to stop dancing with the Raiderettes, due to degenerative disc disease & multiple bulging/herniated discs…so frustrating.

LaRussa made the team back in April, but has been unable to find her way onto the field this season.

She’s no longer listed on the Raiderettes roster.

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The St. Louis Cardinals kept their playoff hopes alive Saturday, scoring two runs in a wild bottom of the 9th to beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 at Busch Stadium.

Carrying a 1-0 lead into the final inning, Cubs closer Carlos Marmol walked three straight hitters, the last one forcing in the tying run, then uncorked a wild pitch as pinch runner Adron Chambers crossed the plate and was mobbed by his teammates. 

The win, coupled with Atlanta’s 4-1 defeat at Washington, put the Cardinals back within two games of the Braves in the National League Wildcard race. St. Louis has one game remaining at home on Sunday, then travels to Houston for the final three games of the season beginning Monday.

“We’re in it,” St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa said. ”It’s part of the excitement, we’re in it. The boys are excited.”

The Cubs jumped on Cards’ starter Kyle Lohse for a run in the top of the 1st on back to back hits by Darwin Barney and Bryan LaHair, followed by Alfonso Soriano’s run scoring single that made it 1-0. St. Louis would hold Chicago scoreless the remainder of the game.

Lohse allowed one run on six hits in seven innings, then gave way to Octavio Dotel, Marc Rzepczynski and Jason Motte, who kept the Cubs off the scoreboard.

LaRussa says Lohse’s performance was outstanding. “Just one ball a little bit up to Soriano. He could have popped it up. He was outstanding. Very good.” 

Chicago’s starter, Rodrigo Lopez, was also solid, scattering four hits in six innings of work.

With the crowd on its feet through much of the inning, the bottom of the 9th started with Lance Berkman lining out to center off Marmol (2-6). Matt Holliday, out of the lineup for the past two weeks with an injury to his right middle finger, got his first hit since September 11th, singling to right center. After David Freese struck out, Marmol walked Molina, Skip Schumaker and pinch hitter Ryan Theriot to force in a run and tie the game 1-1. Then, with Rafael Furcal batting, Marmol threw one to the backstop and Chambers dashed home with the winning run.

Jason Motte, who got the last two outs in the top of the 9th, picks up the win. He’s 5-2 on the season.

The Cardinals will play their 81st and final home game of 2011 Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15 at Busch Stadium. Edwin Jackson (12-9) will take the mound for St. Louis. He’ll be opposed by Randy Wells (7-5).

Game Notes:

The game-ending win by wild pitch was the first for the Cardinals since April 9th, 2001 when Colorado’s Jose Jimenez uncorked a wild pitch on opening day, scoring Ray Lankford with the winning run.

Albert Pujols, who could potentially be playing his final game in St. Louis as a Cardinal on Sunday, has reached base by a hit or a walk in 40 consecutive games. That’s the longest streak in major league baseball this season. Pujols was 0-3 at the plate with a walk and his batting average stands at .303.

ST. LOUIS–The St. Louis Cardinals announced their 2012 home regular-season schedule today in conjunction with Major League Baseball’s league-wide release.

The Cardinals will open their home slate Friday, April 13, 2012 against the Chicago Cubs. It marks the latest home opener for the Cardinals since 1991 when the team’s first home game was on April 19 against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Redbirds’ opening homestand features three games against division rival Chicago (April 13-15), followed by three against the Cincinnati Reds (April 17-19).

The Cardinals play division opponents in each of their first four home series through May 3.

The club’s home interleague action features a three-team homestand that brings the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals to St. Louis (June 8-17).

Following a 9-game road-trip, the club returns home for a 10-game homestand facing Pittsburgh for three, the Colorado Rockies for four games and Miami for three games (June 29-July leading into the All-Star break.

The other three team homestand falls in August (14-23) when the club is home for 16 of 19 games August 3-23.

The Cardinals will host the Chicago Cubs two additional times besides the home opening weekend; hosting a

two-game Monday-Tuesday series, May 14-15, and a three game weekend series in July (20-22).

The Cardinals will host both Milwaukee and Pittsburgh for three, three-game series each. However National League Central Division rival

Houston will visit St. Louis just twice next season, with their first visit not coming until August 21-23.

Cincinnati is also at Busch Stadium on just two occasions next season.

After hosting the Reds for three games during the opening homestand, the Cardinals don’t see the Reds at Busch Stadium until the final three games of

the season (October 1-3).

The Cardinals will close the season at home with three games against the Washington Nationals (Sept. 28-30) followed by the final three against the Reds as the season once again ends on a Wednesday.

The Redbirds will host every National League East and West team one time during 2012, playing the National League East 16 times at home and the National League West teams 17 times.

St. Louis will host 43 games at Busch Stadium before the All-Star break, and 38 after the break. The team has nine home dates in April, 15 in May, 11 in June, 15 in July, a season-high 16 in August and 15 September/October home games.

The Cardinals will make announcements regarding game times, ticket pricing and availability for the 2012 season.