Chicago ? St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile was found dead in the team hotel Saturday, police said.

Kile was found in his bed and had apparently died from natural causes, said police spokesman Michael Chasen. He said there were no signs of forced entry and no signs of foul play.

“It appears he died in his bed, in his sleep,” Chasen said.

He said about two hours before game time, Cardinals players realized Kile was not at the ballpark and called the hotel to ask that he be checked on. Hotel workers had to force their way in because of the safety latch on the door.

“Our club is just totally staggered, I mean, devastated,” said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, wiping away tears. “You guys know what a pro he is.”

The Cardinals game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field was canceled. Kile, 33, had been scheduled to pitch against the Cubs on Sunday.

Joe Girardi, the Cubs player representative, addressed the fans and told them the game was called because of a “tragedy in the Cardinals family.” Several stunned players walked out of the Cardinals clubhouse shortly after the game was called without comment.

Shortly before the game was supposed to start, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa walked across the field to meet with Cubs general manager Andy MacPhail and Girardi. Then all the Cubs came out of the dugout and stood behind Girardi as he addressed the crowd.

An announcement was later made that the game would be made up later.

Kile was 5-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 14 games this season. He last pitched Tuesday, allowing six hits in 7 2-3 innings and winning for the third time in four starts. The win gave the Cardinals sole possession of first place in the NL Central for the first time since April 15.

The death was the second in the Cardinals family this week. On Tuesday, longtime broadcaster Jack Buck died at 77 after a long illness.

With an exceptional overhand curveball, Kile had his best season in 2000, when he went 20-9 with a 3.91 ERA in his first year with St. Louis _ finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting.

Kile pitched a no-hitter while with Houston in 1993 against the New York Mets. He was 133-119 in 11-plus major league seasons.

“Once you take the ball, you’ve got a job to do,” he said after his last start.

He is survived by his wife, Flynn, their 5-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, and a son who was born last August.