ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves became the first team to clinch a playoff berth, rallying past the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 on Sunday as Matt Olson went 2 for 3 with three RBIs.

Atlanta (93-49) secured at least a wild card and reached the postseason for the sixth straight year, the second-longest streak in franchise history. The Braves hold a 15-game lead over second-place Philadelphia in the NL East.

Ronald Acuña Jr. put Atlanta ahead with a two-run single in the seventh. Olson added a two-run single later in the inning.

Brad Hand (4-1) won in relief of rookie Allan Winans. Raisel Iglesias pitched a scoreless ninth for his 29th save in 31 chances.

Colin Selby (2-1) gave up four runs in one-third of an inning.

YANKEES 4, BREWERS 3, 13 INNINGS

NEW YORK (AP) — Milwaukee rookie right fielder Sal Frelick preserved a no-hit bid with a leaping catch at the wall of Anthony Volpe’s drive in the 10th inning to keep the game scoreless, but New York rallied when Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer in the 12th off Andrew Chafin and Kyle Higashioka hit a winning double in the 13th against Hoby Milner (2-1).

After Corbin Burnes pitched eight hitless innings, Devin Williams worked a 1-2-3 ninth and Abner Uribe a hitless 10th. Tyrone Taylor hit a run-scoring single in the 11th as Milwaukee went for the first 11-inning no-hitter in major league history, but Oswaldo Cabrera hit a tying RBI double with one out in the bottom half off Joel Payamps.

Joey Wiemer had an RBI double and Andrew Monasterio a sacrifice fly off Nick Ramirez in the 12th. Anthony Misiewicz (2-0) pitched around a walk in a hitless 13th.

Yankees rookie center fielder Jasson Domínguez was scratched because of a torn ligament in his throwing elbow and needs Tommy John surgery, interrupting an impressive start to his major league career that included four home runs in his first seven games.

RAYS 6, MARINERS 3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Zach Eflin (14-8) tied for the AL wins lead as Tampa Bay took three of four. The Rays have a 7 1/2-game lead over Toronto for the top AL wild card, while Seattle trails AL West-leading Houston by 2 1/2 games.

Eflin allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings and four pitchers combined for scoreless, two-hit relief, with Pete Fairbanks working the ninth for his 21st save,

Yandy Díaz had a leadoff single, Brandon Lowe walked, Harold Ramírez hit a two-run double in the first off Bryce Miller (8-5) and Josh Lowe had a run-scoring double.

ASTROS 12, PADRES 2

HOUSTON (AP) — Kyle Tucker hit two RBI triples in an eight-run sixth inning as Houston routed San Diego.

Tucker became the 12th major leaguer with two triples in an inning and first since Colorado’s Cory Sullivan on April 9, 2006, at San Diego.

Jose Altuve homered and drove in three runs for Houston, which has won five of six to open a 2 1/2-game AL West lead over Seattle. The defending World Series champion Astros (82-62) are a season-high 20 games over .500.

J.P. France (11-5) allowed one run, four hits and five walks in six innings. Matt Waldron (0-3) yielded four runs in five innings.

Tucker was the first Houston player to triple twice in an inning, hitting his three-baggers off Tim Hill and Rich Hill.

CUBS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 2

CHICAGO (AP) — Christopher Morel, Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson each hit a solo homer in the third inning, and Chicago snapped a three-game skid with a victory over Arizona.

Swanson added two singles and Kyle Hendricks (6-7) tossed 5 2/3 effective innings to help the Cubs strengthen their hold on the second NL wild-card spot. Arizona’s four-game winning streak ended, but the Diamondbacks have a half-game lead over Miami for the third and final wild card.

Swanson finished with two RBIs and Seiya Suzuki doubled in a run for the Cubs. Morel also tripled, and Julian Merryweather pitched the ninth for his first save.

Arizona opener Joe Mantiply (1-2) took the loss.

BLUE JAYS 5, ROYALS 2

TORONTO (AP) — Kevin Kiermaier hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning and Toronto took advantage of three consecutive wild pitches by Cole Ragans to complete a three-game sweep of Kansas City.

The Blue Jays hold the second AL wild card by one game over Seattle and 1 1/2 over Texas, which begins a four-game series in Toronto on Monday.

Kiermaier broke a 2-all tie with a solo shot off Taylor Clarke (2-5). Santiago Espinal and Cavan Biggio made it 5-2 with RBI singles off Jackson Kowar in the eighth.

José Berríos (10-10) allowed two runs in seven innings to snap a five-start winless streak. Jordan Romano got his 34th save in 37 chances as the Royals left the bases loaded in the ninth.

The major league-worst Royals (44-100) lost their fourth straight, giving them 100 losses for the first time since 2019.

Ragans extended his scoreless innings streak to 26 with five shutout innings to begin the game, but his outing unraveled in the sixth.

RED SOX 7, ORIOLES 3

BOSTON (AP) — Triston Casas hit a three-run homer off Cole Irvin as Boston averted a three-game sweep with a rain-delayed victory that halted Baltimore’s seven-game winning streak.

A day after getting 23 hits in a 13-12 loss, the Red Sox wiped out a 3-0 deficit with two runs in each of the third and fourth innings against Grayson Rodriguez (5-4).

Brayan Bello (12-8) worked five innings, giving up three runs and seven hits.

RANGERS 9, ATHETICS 4

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Marcus Semien homered twice among his four hits, Corey Seager went deep for the 30th time this season and Texas won consecutive games for the first time in September.

Andrew Heaney (10-6), the odd man out of the Rangers’ rotation with All-Star right-hander Nathan Eovaldi back from the injured list, struck out six over 3 2/3 scoreless innings after taking over for Jon Gray in the third.

Semien matched his career high with four hits for the second time in four games. He set a franchise record with his eighth leadoff homer this season, part of a three-run first inning off rookie Luis Medina (3-9).

DODGERS 7, NATIONALS 3

WASHINGTON (AP) — James Outman homered and Los Angeles moved closer to another division title with a victory over Washington.

Jason Heyward drove in two runs for the Dodgers, who lead the NL West by 13 games over Arizona. Los Angeles reduced its magic number to six for wrapping up the division crown.

The last-place Nationals have dropped 10 of 13.

Rain halted play for 58 minutes in the top of the fifth inning, the third consecutive day the teams endured a delay.

Wander Suero (1-0), called up from the minors before the game, allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings for his first big league victory since he pitched for Washington in 2021.

The Dodgers took the lead against starter Trevor Williams (6-10) on Heyward’s two-run single in the first.

MARLINS 5, PHILLIES 4

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryan De La Cruz hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning and Miami, held hitless until the seventh, rallied past Philadelphia.

Dane Myers broke up a no-hit bid by Phillies starter Ranger Suárez with a one-out double in the seventh. Yuli Gurriel drove in two runs for the Marlins, who pulled within a half-game of Arizona for the final National League wild card. Miami has won eight of 10 after taking two of three games from Philadelphia.

Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber homered for the defending NL champion Phillies, who are two games in front of the Cubs for the league’s top wild card.

Miami went ahead in the eighth on De La Cruz’s two-run homer off Seranthony Domínguez (4-4).

David Robertson (6-6) struck out Alec Bohm with the bases loaded to end the bottom of the seventh.

Tanner Scott, the seventh Marlins pitcher, got five outs for his seventh save.

REDS 7, CARDINALS 1

CINCINNATI (AP) — Hunter Greene allowed one hit in six innings, Joey Votto homered on his 40th birthday and Cincinnati stopped a three-game losing streak by beating St. Louis.

Votto connected after missing 16 games with discomfort in his surgically repaired right shoulder. Jonathan India, Will Benson and TJ Friedl also hit solo home runs as the Reds avoided a three-game sweep. India also was playing his first game after missing 39 with left foot plantar fasciitis.

Cincinnati is 1 1/2 games behind Arizona for the final NL wild card.

Greene (4-6), who had been sidelined with COVID-19 that kept him isolated in San Francisco for five days, gave up one unearned run and struck out nine. He walked four in the first four innings before settling down to retire his last seven batters.

Miles Mikolas (7-11) fell to 1-6 over his last nine starts. The Cardinals (63-80) have lost 80 games for the first time since 2007 when they finished 78-84.

GIANTS 6, ROCKIES 3

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Keaton Winn had a career-high nine strikeouts in six innings to get his first major league win, and San Francisco completed a three-game sweep of Colorado.

Thairo Estrada, Mitch Haniger and Joc Peterson homered for the Giants, who edged back into the playoff race with three straight wins following a six-game slide. San Francisco pulled within 1 1/2 games of Arizona for the final NL wild card.

The Giants have won eight of nine against the Rockies this season and are 16-1 versus Colorado dating to Aug. 21, 2022.

Winn (1-2), who began his career in June as a reliever, was crisp against the Rockies in his third major league start. He allowed three runs and threw 62 of his 80 pitches for strikes.

Hunter Goodwin hit a two-run triple for the last-place Rockies. All three Giants homers came off starter Peter Lambert (3-7).

METS 2, TWINS 0

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — DJ Stewart hit a two-run double in the ninth inning and New York overcame a career-high 14 strikeouts by Minnesota starter Pablo López to avoid a three-game sweep.

López went eight innings for the Twins, who have a 7 1/2-game lead in the AL Central over Cleveland.

Stewart doubled off reliever Griffin Jax (6-9), who took over for López in the ninth. Francisco Lindor led off with a bloop double and Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch.

Brooks Raley (1-2) struck out two in the eighth to earn the win. Adam Ottavino allowed a leadoff double in the ninth but held on for his ninth save.

López became the ninth Twins pitcher to reach 200 strikeouts in a season.

ANGELS 2, GUARDIANS 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Kenny Rosenberg gave up one run over five innings to earn his first career win as Los Angeles held off Cleveland.

Mike Moustakas and Randal Grichuk each drove in a run for the Angels, who took advantage of two balk calls on Guardians starter Tanner Bibee in the third. Cleveland lost three of four in the series and is 7 1/2 games behind first-place Minnesota in the AL Central.

Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani missed his seventh straight game with an oblique strain. Los Angeles manager Phil Nevin was optimistic Ohtani will return Monday at Seattle.

Kole Calhoun homered for the Guardians against his former team, and Bibee (10-4) allowed two hits over seven innings. The rookie from nearby Mission Viejo retired his last 14 batters and did not issue a walk. He struck out eight in his first appearance at Angel Stadium.

Rosenberg (1-1) permitted six hits and one walk. Carlos Estévez earned his 30th save.

TIGERS 3, WHITE SOX 2

DETROIT (AP) — Sawyer Gipson-Long won his major league debut and Spencer Torkelson hit a two-run double in a three-run third inning as Detroit beat Chicago.

Gipson-Long (1-0) threw 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits. Four relievers finished for the Tigers, with Alex Lange getting his 23rd save.

Jesse Scholtens (1-8) gave up three runs and eight hits in five innings.

The post Braves change into 1st MLB group to clinch playoff spot as Acuña and Olson lead rally previous Pirates | Sports activities appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The buttoned-up, measured and under-control Cardinals let their emotions overflow in the fourth inning. Whether it was just the heat of that specific moment or the buildup of weeks of frustration finally bubbling to the surface, they briefly let their anger show on the field as they barked at their counterparts the San Francisco Giants in a benches-clearing altercation.

However, the moment passed with little more than words exchanged. The fire shown when members of both teams had to be separated didn’t carry over for the Cardinals, at least not in a productive way.

The Cardinals lost a series-clinching second game of a three-game series with the Giants 11-3 in front of announced crowd of 40,917 at Busch Stadium on Tuesday night.

The fourth straight loss at home for the Cardinals (27-41) came with its share of boo birds by midway through the game. They’ve now lost 11 of their last 14, and they entered the day in last place in the National League Central Division.

People are also reading…

The Giants (35-32) have won three in a row.

The teams conclude their series on Wednesday afternoon. The Cardinals have a scheduled day off on Thursday before they go on the road for 11 days, including their trip to London, where they’ll play the Chicago Cubs in England’s London Stadium as part of the MLB London Series on June 24-25.

Paul Goldschmidt (2 for 3, RBI) and Nolan Arenado (2 for 3, double) had multi-hit games in the loss. Brendan Donovan also doubled.

Cardinals batters were hit by a pitch for the seventh consecutive game.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) talks with pitching coach Dusty Blake (90) in the dugout after the first inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

Face-to-face confrontations

At the end of the fourth inning, both dugouts and both bullpens emptied as players and coaches from both teams poured out onto the playing field after Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty and Giants leadoff hitter LaMonte Wade Jr. exchanged heated words.

The two had a brief exchange during the inning while Wade was on second base. It appeared Wade may have been signaling pitch locations to batters based on where Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras was setting up.

As Flaherty walked to the dugout after an inning-ending grounder, he and Wade barked at one another. Contreras then started yelling in Wade’s direction and teammates from both sides got between the Contreras and Wade.

Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera puts his jersey in his mouth as Giants catcher Patrick Bailey rounds third on a solo home run in the sixth inning on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium.

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera sprinted from the bullpen to the home plate area where the two groups were squaring off and yelling back and forth.

No punches were thrown, and no ejections were warranted.

Flaherty gave up three runs in the top of the fifth, and Cabrera came in to finish the inning.

Flaherty (3-5) finished the outing having allowed six runs on 10 hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings.

The Cardinals allowed 10 hits or more through the first five innings for the eighth time this season. That occurred seven times for the entire 2022 season.

St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Dylan Carlson (3) can’t reach a 2 RBI double by San Francisco Giants Michael Conforto (8) off Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) in the first inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

Cardinals right fielder Dylan Carlson can’t reach a two-RBI double by the Giants’ Michael Conforto off Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty in the first inning on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium.

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

Running through a wall

The Giants’ first two runs came courtesy of a Michael Conforto two-run double with two outs in the first inning.

Flaherty issued a one-out walk — his MLB-leading 14th first-inning walk — and a single to put two men on. Flaherty, who pitched around three first-inning walks in his previous start, then struck out cleanup hitter J.D. Davis for the second out of the inning.

Conforto (4 for 6, three RBIs) then roped a 2-0 slider from Flaherty into right-center field. Right fielder Dylan Carlson gave chase. He made a leaping attempt as the ball sailed over his head and off the wall. Carlson crashed into the wall but happened to hit the wall at the spot where the bullpen door is located.

Carlson busted through the door as the ball caromed toward center fielder Tommy Edman, who picked up the ball and threw it back to the infield.

Carlson appeared OK when he emerged from the bullpen. However, the door was still being tended to into the bottom half of the inning.

Cardinals answer back early

The Cardinals responded right away and tied the score after the Giants took a two-run advantage in the top of the first.

The first four Cardinals batters reached base on a double by Donovan, a fielding error on a hard-hit groundball off the bat of Goldschmidt, a walk by Nolan Gorman and an RBI single from Arenado.

The Goldschmidt play was later changed to a hit by the official scorer.

That marked the first time each of the first four batters of the game reached for the Cardinals since Aug. 21, 2022.

Donovan scored on the scorcher to first base by Goldschmidt. With two outs and the bases loaded, Carlson hit a grounder to second base, but he hustled down the line and prevented the Giants from turning a double play. Goldschmidt scored from third on the play.

That marked the first time two Cardinals scored in the first inning since April 2, when Donovan and Alec Burleson led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back home runs against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb, a right-hander, twirled a gem against the Cardinals in San Francisco on April 24. He tossed his first shutout in more than 10 years, and he held the Cardinals to six hits and one walk over nine innings. He also struck out nine in his 109-pitch outing.

The 10 years, 244 days between shutouts represented the third-longest span between a pitcher’s first and second career shutout since 1900.

Cobb (6-2) became the ninth pitcher since at least 1901 to allow four runs or fewer across his first four career starts against the Cardinals, the first since former Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez allowed three through his first four starts against the Cardinals from 2012-15.

Thank you for the review

Cardinals rookie outfielder Jordan Walker logged the first outfield assist of his career in the third inning.

Walker, who started in left field for the fifth consecutive game, fielded an RBI single hit on the ground into left field by Giants slugger Conforto with one out in the inning.

The runner on third scored easily on the single. Davis, who’d been on first base, tried to advance all the way to third. Walker threw on a line to the third baseman Arenado, who applied the tag quickly. The initial call on the field was that the runner was safe.

However, the Cardinals challenged the call. Upon review, Davis was called out. Davis suffered a right ankle sprain while sliding into third base. He came out of the game for a defensive replacement in the bottom half of the inning.

The Giants also lost Mitch Haniger to a fractured right forearm suffered on a hit by pitch in the top half of the inning. Haniger left the game after a Flaherty sinker veered too far inside.

Walker committed a fielding error later in the game on a Conforto single hit down the line in the fifth inning. Walker misplayed the bouncing ball down the line, and it allowed Conforto to advance to second base.

In today’s 10 a.m. “Ten Hochman” video — brought to you by Siteman Cancer Center and Window Nation — Ben Hochman discusses Willson Contreras, who is hitting .201 in this infuriating season for the St. Louis Cardinals. Also, a happy birthday shoutout to Ally Sheedy! And as always, Hochman picks a random St. Louis Cards card from the hat!

Benjamin Hochman

Photos: San Francisco Giants rout St. Louis Cardinals 11-3

St. Louis Cardinals Willson Contreras (40) drops his bat after bashing a cooler after striking out in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals bench coach Joe McEwing (77) holds back starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) during bench clearing brew Haha with the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals bench coach Joe McEwing (77) holds back starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) during bench clearing brew Haha with the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Genesis Cabrera (92) puts his jersey in his mouth after San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (14) hit a solo-home run in the sixth inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Dylan Carlson (3) can’t reach a 2 RBI double by San Francisco Giants Michael Conforto (8) off Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) in the first inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Jordan Walker (18) watches the two-run home run hit by San Francisco Giants Mike Yastrzemski (5) bounce over the wall in the sixth inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera puts his jersey in his mouth as Giants catcher Patrick Bailey rounds third on a solo home run in the sixth inning on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium.

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) sits with Willson Contreras (40) in the dugout after all the players cleared out following the Cardinals devastating 11-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals rDylan Carlson (3) legs out a throw to San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (31) in the second inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Goldschmidt scored on the play. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) talks with pitching coach Dusty Blake (90) after being taken out of the game in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) talks with pitching coach Dusty Blake (90) after being taken out of the game in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) takes the game ball from starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Genesis Cabrera (92) walks back to the mound after San Francisco Giants center fielder Mike Yastrzemski (5) hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (40) tags out San Francisco Giants Michael Conforto (8) in the fifth inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Jordan Walker (18) mishandles a single by San Francisco Giants Michael Conforto (8) in the fifth inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Walker was charged with an error on the play. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals bench coach Joe McEwing (77) holds back starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) during bench clearing brew Haha with the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals Jordan Walker (18) strikes out to San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb (38) to end the second inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals Nolan Gorman (16) flies out to San Francisco Giants center fielder Mike Yastrzemski (5) to end the second inning with two runners on base of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals Jordan Walker (18) strikes out to San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb (38) to end the second inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) walks off the field after replacing the pitcher in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) talks with Cardinals relief pitcher Jake Woodford (44) in the dugout after Woodford was removed from the game in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) takes the game ball from Cardinals relief pitcher Jake Woodford (44) in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) hugs Willson Contreras (40) in the dugout after staying to talk after all the players cleared out following the Cardinals devastating 11-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals Jordan Walker (18) motions back to the dugout after hitting a RBI double off San Francisco relief pitcher Keaton Winn (67) in the eighth inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals Jordan Walker (18) rounds first base after hitting a RBI double off San Francisco relief pitcher Keaton Winn (67) in the eighth inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals fan Ashton Siegull, 11, hopes for an autograph before the start of baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) talks with pitching coach Dusty Blake (90) after being taken out of the game in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

Cardinals right fielder Dylan Carlson can’t reach a two-RBI double by the Giants’ Michael Conforto off Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty in the first inning on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at Busch Stadium.

Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch

STL Sports

A nightly look at the day’s top sports stories, and a first look at the topics St. Louis fans will be talking about tomorrow.

The post Tempers flare as Cardinals get routed 11-3 in fourth straight loss as Giants clinch collection appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SANTA CLARA, Calif .– It is still unclear whether Jimmy Garoppolo, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, will survive his right thumb injury against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

But if he has his way, Garoppolo will be in his usual starting spot in a game the 8-7 Niners must have to reach an NFC playoff spot. He said on Wednesday that he “definitely” had a chance to play against the Texans.

“I’ve basically played the entire game with it so it’s really just about grabbing the ball and doing the things I normally do and we’re going to test these out today, see how it feels and then move on.” said Garoppolo said. “But I am convinced of it.”

The 49ers can secure a postseason spot with a win against the Texans and a loss for the New Orleans Saints to the Carolina Panthers.

Before training on Wednesday, Garoppolo threw under the supervision of the team’s training staff. But Garoppolo was seen leaving the field before training began and was officially listed as a non-entrant on the attendance report.

Garoppolo also did not attend the team’s Monday “bonus” training session as he waited for the swelling of his thumb to subside. On Wednesday he threw for the first time since the Niners’ 20-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans last week.

“We’ll see how it looks today,” said Garoppolo on Wednesday. “If it looks good, it looks good. If it looks bad, it looks bad. It’s just one of those things to test and go through. Until we do, it’ll be hard to tell. But we will all be on the same page and do the right thing for the team. “

While there was some confusion about the severity of Garoppolo’s injury, coach Kyle Shanahan provided more clarity on Wednesday. According to Shanahan, Garoppolo has a grade 3 ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right thumb, adding that reports of a fracture have been due to the sprain “peeling off” a small patch of his bone.

But Shanahan said Garoppolo didn’t need surgery and insisted it was the sprain that challenged Garoppolo’s status for Sunday.

“Anytime there’s a bone that has something on it, you can call it a fracture, you can call it a chip, you can call it something, but that really doesn’t stop it,” Shanahan said. “It’s the third degree sprain he has. But because it doesn’t move and stuff, he doesn’t need surgery and he has a chance to play this week.”

Rookie Trey Lance took over all repetitions with the starting offensive on Monday and did this again on Wednesday with Garoppolo.

If Lance gets the nod, it would only be his second NFL start after standing up for Garoppolo against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct.10. As of 2017, the Niners are 30-14 in his starts and 7-28 in games started by all the other quarterbacks.

For his part, Garoppolo said whether he plays depends on how he can grab and throw the ball. Suffering the injury late in the second quarter of the Titans loss, he ended the game despite throwing a poor interception to open the third quarter.

Garoppolo added that he had tweaked his throwing movement as the game progressed to compensate for the injury, although he downplayed its severity on the sideline and did not bring it to the media after the loss.

“It’s a torn ligament, so it is what it is,” said Garoppolo. “The pain, it’s not going anywhere so I know how that feels but it’s just about being confident and going out and being able to do what I normally do with football. We will see where it takes us, but I feel good. ” now with it. “

With Garoppolo battling the thumb injury and players across the league being on the reserve / COVID-19 list, the Niners are also taking additional steps to protect all of their players, including the quarterbacks.

San Francisco signed quarterback Tyler Bray to the training team on Wednesday, where he joins veteran Nate Sudfeld behind Garoppolo and Lance.

Shanahan said the team also switched all meetings to virtual on Wednesday, two days after the player added Mitch Wishnowsky as the team’s first player on the COVID list since August.

“We’ve been pretty lucky so far to only have one man on the ground,” said Shanahan. “But just watching the world and watching everyone, knowing that it’s a matter of time, looks like this, so let’s just try to be careful and keep everyone separate until we go outside.”

The post QB Jimmy Garoppolo ‘assured’ he can play by way of thumb harm as San Francisco 49ers look to clinch playoff berth vs. Houston Texans appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.