The sweep in Arizona began a devastating slump that took the Cardinals out of contention in the NL Central. They lost nine in a row to Arizona, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Chicago again. The ninth loss came to the Cubs in the first game of a doubleheader on September 15, the game rescheduled from April 29 after the death of Josh Hancock. It was the longest losing streak for the franchise since the 1980 Cardinals lost ten in a row. The Cardinals were officially eliminated on September 21, as they lost to the visiting Houston Astros at Busch Stadium. After being eliminated from postseason, St. Louis played out the string by going 7–2 the rest of the way, and finished the season with a 78–84 record, finishing in third place, seven games behind the NL Central winning Chicago Cubs. It was the first losing season for the franchise since the 1999 Cardinals went 75–86, and as of 2019, the last losing season the team has endured.