Cards in playoff on Dodgers loss

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals clinched baseball’s final postseason berth Tuesday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers lost to San Francisco.

The defending World Series champions were beaten by Cincinnati, 3-1, but wrapped up the second NL wild card hours later when the Giants won, 4-3, at Dodger Stadium. St. Louis will play at Atlanta on Friday in the new one-game playoff between wild-card teams.

The Dodgers’ loss left them two games behind St. Louis with one game to go.

The defeat left the Dodgers two games behind St. Louis with only one game left in the regular season. Los Angeles had won six in a row to stay in the race for the second NL wild-card spot, but Mark Ellis lined out to center field with a runner on second base to end it.

The defending World Series champion Cardinals will open the playoffs Friday at Atlanta in a one-game matchup.

Mat Latos won his fourth straight decision to finish the regular season and Scott Rolen homered off Chris Carpenter, helping the Cincinnati Reds keep the St. Louis Cardinals’ postseason plans on hold with a 3-1 victory Tuesday night.

The Cardinals’ magic number for clinching the second NL wild card remained at one with a game to go, and they were left in the uncomfortable position of watching the Dodgers on television and rooting for a loss for the second straight night. Los Angeles, which began the day two games back with two remaining, played at home against the Giants later Tuesday.

In Miami, New York Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey struck out one-shot wonder Adam Greenberg, but also gave up two homers in his final start of a Cy Young-hopeful season and the Mets lost to the Marlins, 3-4.       (AP)