ST. LOUIS — Well, so much for the Matt Holliday era under the Arch.

It was fun while it lasted, unless you count the three games that counted the most. The Cardinals bowed out of the playoffs as quickly as a team can in the National League Division Series.

And in a novel twist for critics, they can't blame this one on John Mozeliak, the team's general manager, or the often tight-fisted ownership style of Bill DeWitt Jr.

No, the sweep that ended with a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last night lands directly in the lap of manager Tony La Russa, sluggers Albert Pujols and Holliday and ace Chris Carpenter, the team's true bellwether.

The Cardinals win when Carpenter is on his game, as he generally was in 2009 after injuries eliminated him in 2008 and '07. The quick end to this season started with his five rough innings at Dodger Stadium and became all but a fait accompli when Holliday couldn't catch a waist-high liner for the final out in Game 2.

"I'm very surprised," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said about the sweep. "We beat a very good team. We won those two games against Carp and (Adam) Wainwright pitching — that did a lot for our personality and confidence."

Now the St. Louis front office and fans are left to consider all the resources that were expended to play one playoff game under the Arch.

There will be talk about re-signing Holliday, of course, but it's a long shot DeWitt will keep agent Scott Boras from finding a higher bidder. The Cardinals have personnel issues higher up the corporate masthead, anyway, as manager La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan join Holliday, Mark DeRosa and Joel Pineiro, the Game 3 loser, in this winter's free-agent class.

Lots of people figured the Cardinals would be the strongest NL team in the playoffs. But there is very little difference between the four teams, and it was Torre's team that played with more confidence.

With Pujols failing to go deep — he didn't homer in 89 at-bats after Sept. 9 — the Cardinals seemed tight at the plate and in the field. They had only six hits off Vicente Padilla and two relievers yesterday, only one in their eight at-bats with men in scoring position. They finished the series 4-for-30 in those situations, including 1-for-17 in the last two losses.

"Congratulate the Dodgers," La Russa said. "Joe Torre managed a hell of a series."

He's right, of course. Torre managed a good series, mostly with his positive handling of his players, who love playing for him (even the overworked relievers). He benefited from the underrated depth of his pitching staff, with starters Randy Wolf, Clayton Kershaw and Padilla giving up four runs in 17 1/3 innings.

The Dodgers will be a tough opponent for either the Phillies or Rockies when the NL Championship Series begins Thursday at Dodger Stadium. The Cardinals must deal with tough questions they would have loved to put off for another few weeks.