In order to prolong their season another day, they need righty Pat Hentgen to shake off two weeks of mothballs in Monday night's Game 5 and out-pitch Mets ace lefty Mike Hampton.

Then, they can get the series back to St. Louis for Game 6 and 7 (if necessary).

But after watching the way they coughed up Sunday's Game 4 -- a 10-6 Mets victory -- it's fair to wonder whether they should even bother prolonging the agony.

Glendon Rusch and the Mets pitching staff are outdueling the Cards on the mound. (AP)

The Redbirds are ruffled, and just about dead, now trailing the Mets 3-1 in the series.

They trotted out Darryl Kile on three days rest and watched their most dependable starter throw meatballs for three innings. Kile had to wonder whether he was back pitching in Coors Field for the Rockies. The Mets had to wonder if batting practice ever ended.

"When your offense scores six runs, you have to find out a way to get the job done," said Kile. "Three days rest wasn't the problem, pitch location was. You could pitch on one days rest or 20 days and you're going to get hit when the ball is up in the zone."

Especially on a night the Mets offense is in the zone.

"Our outfielders were running wind sprints in the outfield," Cards first baseman Will Clark said. "Darryl could just never get comfortable out there."

By the time Kile's night had ended, manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan were engaging in a silly argument with second base umpire Steve Rippley over a borderline ball four to Timo Perez. Duncan would be ejected. The least La Russa and his pitching coach could have done was argued with the home plate ump, who made the call they were so disgusted with.

But it was just another example of how out of sync the Cards look right now. This, in no way resembles the crew that steamrolled the Braves in a sweep last week.

Then there are the Mets, drooling at the prospect of facing the Yankees (OK, they'd settle for Seattle) in the World Series. They smashed five, count 'em, five doubles off Kile in the bottom of the first for an LCS record. The first four two-baggers were consecutively drilled off the bats of Perez, Edgardo Alfonzo, Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura.

And if the Cardinals really want to dream about getting this thing to a Game 7, here is a sobering reality. Kile would be back out there in Game 7, again on three days rest. He's already lost twice in the series.

Of course, they'd need Andy Benes, pitching with frayed cartilage in his right knee, to come back on three days rest and win Game 6.

Clearly, these are two teams going different places.

The Cardinals, their pitching depleted by the injury of Garrett Stephenson and the wildness of Rick Ankiel, go with Hentgen with the season on the brink. The same Hentgen La Russa chose not to pitch in the Cards' first seven playoff games. The same Hentgen who was shelled in his final two starts of the regular season.

And the Mets? Bobby Valentine couldn't have scripted it any better. His pitchers are all rested. His bullpen -- thanks to a superb three innings from Glendon Rusch Sunday -- hasn't been overly taxed. And his hitters are steaming with confidence.

Perez, the Dominican who came to the Mets via Japan, has come out of obscurity to give the team an electrifying leadoff hitter. Piazza is on one of those tears when you wonder if it is even possible to get him out. And there doesn't seem to be an easy out in the entire lineup.

Give the St. Louis offense -- which pounded out 14 hits in a Game 3 series-saving victory -- credit. They kept swinging. In fact, Jim Edmonds' 2-run homer in the top of the first gave the Cards a quick lead in this one.

But Kile never gave them a chance. And La Russa didn't get him out of the game quick enough.

For someone who has been dubbed the Genius, you have to wonder what La Russa was thinking letting Kile hit in the top of the third. He had given up seven runs in the first two innings.

La Russa said he was going to manage this game like a Game 7, but he didn't prove it by staying so long with Kile.

"They got five doubles," said La Russa, "But I look at his stuff and his stuff was good. He couldn't get a called strike on his curveball. That would have changed some of those counts around."

All series, La Russa has seemed a step behind Valentine. Once again Mark McGwire was left standing at the altar -- er, the on deck circle -- more than once.

Give the Cardinals credit for this though. They wouldn't quit. By the fifth, they had chipped the lead to 8-6.

They fought the good fight, but two errors by third baseman Fernando Tatis that led to two more Mets runs made it a waste of energy.

Now the Cardinals need to muster everything they have just to try and get this series back home, where the lost the first two games.

"They still have to win one more," Cards outfielder Ray Lankford said. "We don't feel it's over. That's one thing about this team, we don't quit."

But when you don't get enough pitching, it doesn't matter.