ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals rookie Michael Wacha lost his no-hit bid on Ryan Zimmermans infield single with two outs in the ninth inning, and St. Louis beat the Washington Nationals 2-0 Tuesday night to close in on the NL Central title. Making his ninth career start, Wacha came about as close as possible to finishing off the third no-hitter in the majors this season. Instead, the Busch Stadium crowd let out a loud, collective groan as he became the third pitcher to have a bid broken up with one out to go. Zimmerman hit a chopper just over the 6-foot-6 Wacha, and the ball bounced slowly toward shortstop. A charging Pete Kozma grabbed it with his bare hand and whipped a throw to first that was a little wide, pulling Matt Adams off the bag as Zimmerman arrived. "I think it nicked off my glove a little bit," Wacha said. As the ball left Zimmermans bat, several Cardinals started to climb the dugout railing, ready to pour onto the field to celebrate. Second baseman Matt Carpenter did a little hop, all set for the final out. But first base umpire Jeff Kellogg correctly called Zimmerman safe, and the Cardinals sagged right along with their fans. Third baseman David Freese sat crouched in the infield, stunned at how close his 22-year-old teammate had come. Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright put his hands on his head in disbelief. Wacha (4-1) was pulled after Zimmermans hit and walked off to a huge ovation. The right-hander struck out nine and walked two. "I guess I wasnt meant to throw one tonight," he said. Trevor Rosenthal got Jayson Werth to ground out for his second save. With anticipation building and fans on their feet in the ninth inning, Wacha retired pinch-hitter Steve Lombardozzi on a grounder to Kozma before throwing a called third strike past Denard Span. But on the next pitch, Zimmerman spoiled it. Texas Yu Darvish lost a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning against Houston on April 2 and San Franciscos Yusmeiro Petit had his try at perfection end one out shy against Arizona on Sept 6. Cincinnatis Homer Bailey and the Giants Tim Lincecum threw no-hitters in July. The last two no-hitters by St. Louis pitchers came from rookies -- Bud Smith in 2001 and Jose Jimenez in 1999. It has been 30 years since there was a no-hitter in St. Louis. Bob Forsch finished off his second for the Cardinals on Sept. 26, 1983, against Montreal. Drafted 19th overall out of Texas A&M last year, Wacha has been up and down from the minors a couple of times this season. But he came up big for the Cardinals in the final week as they try to nail down their first division title since 2009. St. Louis, which already clinched a playoff berth, began the night with a two-game lead in the NL Central over Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. The Reds lost to the New York Mets 4-2, falling three games back with four to play. The Cardinals have won four of five. They remained a half-game behind Atlanta for the best record in the NL. Washington was eliminated from playoff contention with a 4-3 loss to St. Louis on Monday night. The Nationals have dropped three of four. Wacha retired his first 14 batters before Adam LaRoche reached on an error by Carpenter at second base with two outs in the fourth. Span tried to break up the no-hitter with a two-out bunt in the sixth. The ball rolled just foul near third base, and the crowd booed lustily. Left fielder Shane Robinson made a running catch of a tailing liner off the bat of Anthony Rendon to end the eighth. Robinson drove in Carpenter with a two-out single off Gio Gonzalez (11-8) in the third. Carpenter began the rally with his major league-leading 55th double. Yadier Molina pushed the lead to 2-0 with a run-scoring double in the fourth. Gonzalez came within inches of a no-hitter himself this month. He finished with a one-hit shutout against the Mets after pinch-hitter Zach Lutzs seventh-inning single landed right on the first base line behind the bag. This time, Gonzalez allowed two runs and six hits over seven innings. He struck out six. NOTES: Wacha was seeking the 11th no-hitter in Cardinals history. ... Nationals RHP Jordan Zimmermann (19-7, 3.18 ERA) gets his last scheduled shot at 20 wins on Wednesday when he faces RHP Shelby Miller (14-9, 3.12) in the finale of the three-game series. ... The Cardinals are 14-2 against NL East opponents at home. Mark Bavaro Jersey . Hamilton signed offensive linemen Mike Filer, Joel Reinders, Landon Rice and Carson Rockhill. Alec Ogletree Jersey . -- Barry Bonds is all set to return to the San Francisco Giants. http://www.officialnewyorkgiantsfootball...rsey-womens.com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown. Calvin Munson Jersey . Fabio Fognini pulled off a surprise 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory over two-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray to level the best-of-five quarterfinal at 2-2 before Andreas Seppi defeated James Ward 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the decisive match. Wayne Gallman Jersey . Spezza scored a power-play goal with 5 minutes left and Stephane Da Costa had the other two goals to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- First baseman James Loney has finalized a $21 million, three-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. The deal announced Friday is the largest the budget-minded club has given a free agent since current ownership led by Stuart Sternberg took control after the 2005 season. Loney hit a team-leading .299 with 13 homers and 75 RBIs for the Rays lasst season, his first with Tampa Bay.dddddddddddd He also was a finalist for an AL Gold Glove. The 29-year-old Loney appeared in 158 games in 2013 and led the major leagues with a club-record .351 road batting average. In eight seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Rays, Loney has a .285 career average with 86 homers and 534 RBIs. Cheap Buffalo Sabres GearWholesale Calgary Flames JerseysCheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche JerseysMontreal Canadiens Outlet StoreWholesale New Jersey Devils JerseysAdidas Arizona Coyotes JerseysCheap Adidas Boston Bruins JerseysCheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes JerseysChicago Blackhawks Shop Free ShippingWholesale Columbus Blue Jackets JerseysDallas Stars Shop Free ShippingCheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings JerseysAnaheim Ducks Jerseys ChinaWholesale Edmonton Oilers JerseysFlorida Panthers Shop Free ShippingWholesale Los Angeles Kings JerseysMinnesota Wild Outlet StoreCheap Adidas Nashville Predators JerseysCheap Adidas New York Islanders JerseysNew York Rangers Winter Classic JerseysCheap Adidas Ottawa Senators JerseysCheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers JerseysWholesale Pittsburgh Penguins JerseysCheap Adidas San Jose Sharks JerseysSt. Louis Blues Winter Classic JerseysWholesale Tampa Bay Lightning JerseysToronto Maple Leafs Outlet StoreVancouver Canucks Outlet StoreCheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights JerseysCheap Adidas Washington Capitals JerseysCheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '