MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ROUNDUP
Giants 3, Dodgers 0
Rookie Ty Blach outpitched ace Clayton Kershaw, and San Francisco held onto their lead for the last National League playoff spot going into the final day of the regular season, beating Los Angeles on Saturday. The Giants stayed one game ahead of St. Louis for the second NL wild-card slot. The Cardinals beat visiting Pittsburgh 4-3 earlier in the day. Matt Moore will start for the Giants on Sunday, and a win — or St. Louis loss — puts them in the playoffs. The New York Mets will host the NL wild-card game on Wednesday night. Blach (1-0) earned his first big league victory, pitching eight innings of three-hit ball. He struck out six and walked one in his second start in the majors, and also got his first two hits. This was the fourth game in the majors for Blach since the 25-year-old lefty made his major league debut in September. Sergio Romo pitched a hitless ninth for his fourth save. Kershaw (12-4) gave up three runs, two of them unearned, in seven innings. Angel Pagan homered in the fifth to break a scoreless tie. Kershaw is already set to pitch the opener in the best-of-five Division Series against Washington. The Dodgers' loss gave the Nationals home-field advantage in that matchup. The Dodgers-Giants result was posted on the videoboard at Nationals Park in the seventh inning while Washington played Miami. It was announced that the Nationals had clinched the home field, and the crowd responded with a standing ovation. One day after gaining national attention for body-slamming a fan who had run onto the field, Pagan hit a 1-1 pitch from Kershaw into the left-field stands. It was Pagan's 12th home run of the season and his first off Kershaw in 68 career at-bats.
Cardinals 4, Pirates 3
Jedd Gyorko hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning, Matt Holliday provided another big boost and St. Louis pushed the playoff race to the final day of the regular season, holding off Pittsburgh. Adam Wainwright is set to start Game No. 162 for St. Louis on Sunday. Gyorko's solo shot came on a 100-mph fastball from Felipe Rivero (1-6). Gyorko became the first Cardinals player to hit 30 homers in a season since Carlos Beltran in 2012.
The Cardinals tied it with a three-run sixth, highlighted by Holliday's RBI pinch-hit single. Holliday homered on Friday night after the Cardinals said they wouldn't pick up his $17 million option.
Kevin Siegrist (6-3) pitched a scoreless eighth.
Braves 5, Tigers 3
Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis homered, rookie Aaron Blair had a career-high 10 strikeouts and last-place Atlanta damaged Detroit's playoff hopes.
Detroit, trying to return to the postseason after missing out last year, is 1.5 games behind AL wildcard leaders Toronto and Baltimore.
The Tigers will have ace Justin Verlander on the mound Sunday. Depending on the playoff scenario, Detroit's regular season might extend with a makeup home game Monday against Cleveland.
Atlanta took a 5-2 lead in the seventh on Adonis Garcia's two-run single, but reliever Mauricio Cabrera loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth. Chaz Roe struck out Miguel Cabrera and got J.D. Martinez to ground into a double play.
Braves closer Jim Johnson gave up a run in the ninth on Jose Iglesias' infield single but retired pinch-hitter Victor Martinez on a grounder to earn his 19th save in 22 chances. The Braves have won 11 of 13 heading into the last game at Turner Field.
Freeman's 34th homer put the Braves up 2-1 in the fourth. Markakis' 13th made it 3-1 in the sixth.
Blair (2-7) began the night with an 8.02 ERA but gave up four hits, two runs and one walk in five innings. He kept the Tigers off balance early with a sharp curveball, striking out five of the first six batters he faced.
Detroit starter Jordan Zimmermann (9-7) allowed three hits, two runs, three walks and struck out two in four innings. In four starts since June 24, the right-hander is 0-4 with an 11.64 ERA.
Zimmermann, who left Washington to sign a $110 million, five-year contract last December, has struggled with groin and upper-body injuries in his first season with the Tigers.