Rangers ride Beltre's 3 home runs to next round

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Texas Rangers are headed back to the AL championship series, thanks to a power surge by Adrian Beltre that few players in major league history have matched. Beltre hit three straight home runs and the defending AL champions advanced again, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in Game 4 Tuesday to win their playoff matchup.Texas ended the Rays' remarkable run to the AL wild-card spot, and will play for the pennant against the winner of the Detroit Tigers-New York Yankees series.Beltre became just the seventh player to homer three times in a postseason game, and the first since Adam Kennedy of the Angels in 2002. Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and George Brett also are on the list.The Texas slugger connected in his first three at-bats. Given a chance to tie the big league record of four homers in a game, Beltre hit a routine flyout in the eighth.Neftali Feliz gave up a run in the ninth inning before closing for his third save of the series.Texas won for the fifth straight time on the road overall -- all at Tropicana Field -- in the opening round. The Rangers eliminated Tampa Bay in five games last year. Ian Kinsler led off the game for Texas by homering on the second pitch from rookie Jeremy Hellickson.Then it was Beltre's turn. He came into the game in a 1-for-11 slump in this series before breaking loose."The first couple games their pitching was really good," Beltre said. "Today something changed, I felt more comfortable at the plate, and I did something to help my team win."Beltre hit solo shots off Hellickson in the second and fourth innings, and added another solo drive against Matt Moore during the seventh. The Rays weren't the only ones who had trouble keeping up with Beltre -- a television cameraman trying to run alongside Beltre to capture the image as the star jogged home did a face-first pratfall.Beltre signed with Texas in the offseason after playing last year in Boston. He and Kinsler tied for the team lead with 32 homers, and Beltre had been on a late-season tear going into the playoffs."That's one of the main reasons I came to this team. We're looking good right now, but we still have a long way to go," he said.

Cards rally past Lee to even series with Phillies

PHILADELPHIA -- Jon Jay flipped Carlos Ruiz, then Albert Pujols delivered the knockout blow.These feisty St. Louis Cardinals aren't backing down from the mighty Phillies. Pujols hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning after Cliff Lee blew a four-run lead, and the Cardinals rallied past Philadelphia 5-4 Sunday night to even their NL playoff matchup at one game each.Down early, Jay jolted Philadelphia's catcher on a bruising play at the plate. Jay was out, ending the fourth inning. The Phillies, however, couldn't block the Cardinals' path to victory."I thought that was my only option," Jay said. "I thought I got him all right, and I was hoping that the ball would come out, but it didn't. He did a good job of holding onto the ball."The NLDS shifts to St. Louis for Game 3 on Tuesday. Cole Hamels will be the third straight All-Star pitcher to face the Cardinals, who'll send Jaime Garcia to the mound.The wild-card Cardinals, who got into the postseason only after the Phillies beat Atlanta in Game 162, got the split they were looking for on the road against the team that had the best record in the majors.Lee hardly looked like the guy who used to be so dominant in the postseason. He gave up five runs and 12 hits, striking out nine in six-plus innings, to lose his third straight playoff start."I wasn't able to make my pitches, so I take full responsibility," Lee said.Pitching on three days' rest for the first time in his career, Chris Carpenter struggled for the Cardinals.But one reliever after another did the job for manager Tony La Russa. Six Cardinals relievers combined to toss six shutout innings, allowing just one hit. Jason Motte finished for a four-out save."We've been doing this all year. We don't give up," Motte said. "People counted us out, (but) we kind of went out there and just kept playing hard."After chipping away for a few innings, the Cardinals took the lead in the seventh. Allen Craig led off with a triple off center fielder Shane Victorino's glove. A three-time Gold Glove winner, Victorino misplayed the ball. He had to go a long way to make the catch, but overran it and the ball bounced off his glove.Pujols, who struck out in his previous two at-bats, lined a single over drawn-in shortstop Jimmy Rollins to give St. Louis a 5-4 lead.Cardinals players jumped up and cheered wildly in the dugout, while Phillies fans sat silently in disbelief. The red-clad faithful had their hearts broken already once Sunday.Just a few hours earlier, the Eagles blew a 20-point lead and lost 24-23 to the San Francisco 49ers in an NFL game across the street.Many fans walked over to watch the two-sport doubleheader, and the crowd of 46,575 was the largest in the eight-year history of Citizens Bank Park.For a while, it seemed the Phillies had this one under control.After all, Lee is one of the best postseason pitchers in history, and he was 17-9 with a 2.40 ERA and a major league-best six shutouts this season.Lee was 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA in his first eight playoff starts -- 4-0 with the Phillies in 2009 -- before losing Games 1 and 5 of the World Series to the San Francisco Giants as a member of the Texas Rangers last year.He's 0-3 with a 7.13 ERA in the last three outings.On a chilly night when game-time temperature was 50 degrees, Lee was the only starter in short sleeves.Maybe he got cold."Any time I got a 4-0 lead in the first or second, I feel I have the game well in hand," Lee said.Clinging to a 4-3 lead, Lee got the first two outs in the sixth. Then Ryan Theriot lined a two-out double to left and Jay followed with an opposite-field single to left. Theriot slid home safely ahead of Raul Ibanez's high throw to tie it at 4.Down 4-0, the Cardinals started their rally in the fourth. Berkman walked and Yadier Molina hit a one-out infield single. Theriot sliced an RBI double down the right-field line and Jay followed with an RBI single to get St. Louis within 4-2.Jay advanced to second on the throw to the plate, and Carpenter was pulled for pinch-hitter Nick Punto. Lee fired a 92 mph fastball by Punto for the second out.But Rafael Furcal followed with a line-drive single to left. Theriot scored and Jay came rumbling around the bases. Ibanez made a perfect one-hop throw and the ball arrived along with Jay. He slammed into Ruiz, his left forearm knocking the stocky catcher backward. But Ruiz held to temporarily prevent the tying run from scoring. Lee, backing up the plate, pumped his fist while Ruiz calmly picked up his mask and jogged to the dugout.Carpenter, the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner, allowed four runs and five hits in three innings. It was the shortest outing of the season for Carpenter, who led the NL with 237 1/3 innings pitched this year.The bullpen bailed him out.Fernando Salas retired all six batters he faced, and Octavio Dotel set down five in a row. Marc Rzepczynski gave up a two-out single to Rollins in the seventh, ending a streak of 15 straight batters retired. Rzepczynski left after hitting Chase Utley to start Philadelphia's eighth.Mitchell Boggs came in and got Hunter Pence to ground into a forceout. Arthur Rhodes replaced him and struck out Ryan Howard. Then it was Motte's turn.Both teams had issues with plate umpire Jerry Meals, and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa criticized the strike zone during the telecast."It's not a great comment to make, but I was upset," La Russa said. "I've never had a problem with Jerry before ever."Crew chief Jerry Layne deferred comment to Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations or Peter Woodfork, the senior vice president of baseball operations."My job is to make sure that I have no comment," Layne said. "It's only right that Major League Baseball is informed of what's going on, and if there's really a comment that should be made, it should come out of Joe Torre or Peter Woodfork. That's why they're in the titles that they carry."The Phillies, who overcame a 3-0 first-inning deficit in Game 1, took a 3-0 lead in the first in this one.Rollins lined a double off the right-field fence and Utley and Pence walked to load the bases. Howard, who hit the go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning Saturday, then hit a sharp single up the middle to score two runs. His grounder appeared to hit the rubber and took an odd bounce on its way to center field.Carpenter retired Victorino on a shallow fly, but Ibanez hit an RBI single to left to make it 3-0.Rollins got things started again in the second with a two-out double off the top of the right-field fence. After Utley walked, Pence lined an RBI single to right for a 4-0 lead.The Cardinals jumped on Roy Halladay 3-0 on Berkman's three-run homer in the first inning of Game 1 only to lose 11-6. They had a chance to take an early lead again after Furcal hit the first pitch of the game off the top of the right-field fence for a triple. But Lee kept him there.Game notes All-Star LF Matt Holliday again wasn't in the starting lineup for St. Louis because of a hand injury. The Cardinals were 20-18 without him in the regular season. ... Garcia is 2-1 with a 1.20 ERA in six games, four starts, vs. the Phillies. The lefty has held Philadelphia to a .178 batting average. .... Hamels is 2/3 with a 3.27 ERA in nine career starts vs. St. Louis. ... Miss America Teresa Scanlan sang the national anthem. ... This was the 219th straight sellout in Philadelphia, including postseason play.

Howard steadies Halladay, gives Phils 1-0 lead

PHILADELPHIA -- Ryan Howard took a mighty cut, dropped his bat and admired the shot.The big slugger didn't go down looking in a clutch spot this time, Roy Halladay overcame a shaky start and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-6 Saturday night in the opener of their NL division series. Howard shook off his season-ending strikeout last October in the championship series to hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in a five-run sixth inning, sending Citizens Bank Park into a frenzy."I left last year in the past," Howard said. "You can't let what happened last year affect this year. It's a fresh start."Halladay retired his last 21 batters, and the NL East champions began their all-or-nothing postseason run with a comeback win.Halladay allowed three runs and three hits, striking out eight in eight innings. He didn't allow a runner after Skip Schumaker led off the second with a single."That's why he's the best in the game," Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols said. "We wanted to keep adding on it, but we just never put that inning together again."Game 2 is Sunday night, with Cliff Lee pitching for Philadelphia against Chris Carpenter, who is starting on three days' rest.Raul Ibanez hit a two-run shot off Kyle Lohse to cap the Phillies' burst in the sixth, and Shane Victorino had three hits and two RBIs.Last year, in his first career playoff start, Halladay threw the second no-hitter in postseason history in Philadelphia's 4-0 victory over Cincinnati.His bid for an encore in the first round didn't last one batter, and Lance Berkman hit the first three-run homer off Halladay in three years to put the wild-card Cardinals up 3-0 in the first.But the offense bailed out Doc."I couldn't think of a worse start and putting your team in a hole like that," Halladay said. "But you get to this point, you're not going to pack it in." Lohse retired the first 10 batters before Chase Utley hit a double off the right-field fence in the fourth. The righty, who was 14-8 this season, ran out of gas in the sixth.Down 3-1, Jimmy Rollins singled to start the inning. After Utley struck out, Hunter Pence grounded a single up the middle. That brought up Howard, who heard a lot of criticism for taking that called third strike last year in the NLCS with the tying run on second base to end the Phillies' season against San Francisco.Howard worked a full count before launching a towering drive into the second deck in right-center to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead.The towel-waving crowd went wild, and Howard came out for a curtain call."In that situation, I knew he wasn't really going to throw a fastball, so I just sat on the changeup," Howard said. "Trying to get me to chase, but he just kind of left one up there hanging for me."Victorino followed with a single. Ibanez then lined a two-run homer to right to end Lohse's night.Lohse allowed six runs -- five earned -- and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.The Cardinals scored three times in the ninth off relievers Michael Stutes and Ryan Madson, highlighted by Schumaker's two-run double.The two teams took different roads to get here.The Phillies cruised to their fifth straight division title, winning a franchise-record and major league-best 102 games. Anything less than a second World Series title in four years will be considered a failure by players, management and fans.The Cardinals needed an incredible collapse by Atlanta and help from Philadelphia to earn the wild card. St. Louis trailed the Braves by 10½ games on Aug. 25, but went 23-8 the rest of the way and got in after Game 162 when the Phillies completed a three-game sweep in Atlanta. For a while, it seemed the Phillies might regret helping the Cardinals reach the playoffs.A day after borrowing a line from William Shakespeare, saying he "came here to bury Caesar, not praise him," Halladay didn't back up his words right away.Rafael Furcal led off the game with a single and stole second. One out later, Halladay walked Pujols on four pitches. Berkman drove the next pitch off the mini-scoreboard hanging on the facing off the second deck in right field."You have to beat those guys 3-to-whatever," Berkman said. "He's not going to give up much more than that. He's a great pitcher."The switch-hitting Berkman hit all 31 of his homers in the regular season from the left side. No. 32 was the first three-run homer Halladay allowed since Aug. 21, 2008, when Hideki Matsui connected for the Yankees in a 14-3 loss to Toronto."He was kind of like a 'Rocky' movie," manager Charlie Manuel said of Halladay. "He got mad after he gave up that homer. That ticked him off and he hung in there and he got going. But he's special. He's everything people talk about."The Phillies will turn Berkman around the next two games with lefties Lee and Cole Hamels on the mound.Howard hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and Victorino and Ibanez each had RBI singles in the inning to pad Philadelphia's lead.An unearned run got Philadelphia within 3-1 in the fourth. After Utley's one-out double, Pence struck out and Howard walked. Victorino hit a foul pop down the left-field line that should've ended the inning.But third baseman David Freese tried to make an over-the-shoulder catch and the ball fell out of his glove for an error. Victorino hit an opposite-field single to left to score Utley.Halladay, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who won it last year in his first season in the NL, was 19-6 with a career-best 2.35 ERA and eight complete games this season.He made certain the relievers stayed in the bullpen until this game was out of reach.A crowd of 46,480 was the 218th straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park, including postseason play. The stadium resembled an apple orchard with all the red-clad fans.Game notes Cardinals RHP Kyle McClellan was disappointed that he was left off the roster because of a tired arm. "McClellan is a real weapon," manager Tony La Russa said. "That was a very tough call, and I know he's very upset with it, and he should be. Made totally on his best interest."... Only the New York Yankees (27) have won more World Series titles than the Cardinals (10). ... The Cardinals were 6-3 vs. the Phillies in the regular season. ... The Phillies are 15-7 in Game 1s, while the Cardinals fell to 16-19. ... The Cardinals didn't have five-time All-Star, LF Matt Holliday because of a hand injury. ... Howard is 9 for 18 with three homers off Lohse. ... The Phillies, who acquired Pence from Houston on July 29, are now 8-0 with all of their regulars in the lineup. ... Pence was 2 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs in his first postseason game.

Brewers up 1-0 after Gallardo outduels Kennedy

MILWAUKEE -- Yovani Gallardo emerged from the shadows, outpitching Arizona ace Ian Kennedy as the Milwaukee Brewers kept winning at Miller Park, beating the Diamondbacks 4-1 in their NL division series opener on Saturday.Prince Fielder chased Kennedy with a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning, helping erase the stigma that the big slugger's playoffs would be anything like 2008, when he went 1 for 14.Same, too, with Gallardo. The right-hander retired 14 of 15 during one stretch, perhaps helped by how the shadows cut across the infield. With an early start time, the sun peeked through the retractable roof all afternoon, creating a crazy, changing pattern.Gallardo gave up one run and four hits over eight innings and matched a postseason franchise record with nine strikeouts.Gallardo was only nicked by Ryan Roberts' home run in the eighth, and won in his first postseason start since a Game 1 loss in the 2008 NLDS to Philadelphia. An All-Star in 2010, he went 17-10 this season, yet is rarely mentioned among the elite pitchers in the game.He's even overshadowed -- so to speak -- on his own staff by 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke.Game 2 is Sunday. Greinke will start for Milwaukee against Daniel Hudson.Jerry Hairston Jr., playing in place of starter Casey McGehee, put the Brewers ahead for good in the fourth with a sacrifice fly in the fourth set up by Fielder's double.Ryan Braun, who fell just short of the NL batting title, contributed three hits. The All-Star left fielder also threw out a runner at the plate in the first inning as Milwaukee's shaky defense was suddenly solid.John Axford pitched a perfect ninth for his first save after converting his last 43 in a row in the regular season. The Brewers started 1-0 at Miller Park after winning a major-league best 57 times at home during their run to the NL Central title. Gallardo was at his best over his final three starts and reached more than 200 strikeouts for the second straight season. He never made a mark in the postseason in 2008 because he need surgery and missed almost five months after tearing a ligament in his right knee.This performance changes that.Gallardo got out of a first-inning jam thanks to Braun's throw, then cruised until Willie Bloomquist singled in the sixth. Hairston ended that inning when he scooped up a weak grounder to third base by Justin Upton and threw him out as he tried sliding into first.In the seventh, Lyle Overbay drove a ball to deep center field where Nyjer Morgan gathered it at the warning track before slamming into the wall to end the inning.Fielder hit his second postseason home run in the seventh after Braun doubled for his third hit of the day, making it 4-0. Fielder and his teammates celebrated in the dugout after the shot that broke open the game.The fans also hailed Fielder -- a free agent-to-be, he's already said this is probably his last season in Milwaukee.Gallardo's lone mistake came when Roberts homered off him to start the eighth. But the 25-year-old struck out Gerardo Parra, pinch hitter Sean Burroughs and Bloomquist to end the inning.Gallardo showed an uncharacteristic flash of emotion, too, slamming his right hand into his glove as he walked off the mound. He improved to 6-0 in six career starts against Arizona with a 1.18 ERA.Milwaukee's normal infield of Fielder, Rickie Weeks at second, Yuniesky Betancourt at short and McGehee at third committed 71 errors this year. With McGehee also struggling at the plate, manager Ron Roenicke started Hairston.It worked in the field and at the plate.Braun singled off Kennedy, a 21-game winner, to start the fourth. Fielder followed with a double down the left field line opposite the shift to put runners in scoring position and Kennedy hit Weeks to load the bases with no out. Hairston followed with a sacrifice fly.Milwaukee took a 2-0 lead with a pair of two-out hits in the sixth. Betancourt tripled and scored when Jonathan Lucroy's bloop landed just between Bloomquist at short and Parra in left.Arizona, which has been aggressive under manager Kirk Gibson all season, tested Milwaukee's shaky defense from the start.Bloomquist singled to lead off the game and easily stole second with one out. Upton singled and third base coach Matt Williams never hesitated sending Bloomquist home.Braun's throw from left needed two hops, but arrived perfectly to the left side of the catcher Lucroy, who blocked the plate and tagged out Bloomquist.Gallardo settled into a rhythm from there, mixing his slider and curveball with his sharp fastball as the long shadows crossed the playing field in the retractable roof ballpark that opened in 2001.Game notes Diamondbacks hitting coach Don Baylor was back with the team after he fainted in the clubhouse on Friday. He was released from the hospital early Saturday morning. Baylor said he fainted because of a complication with medicine he was taking for back spasms. ... Brewers radio broadcaster Bob Uecker threw out the first pitch and Joseph Attanasio, father of principal owner Mark Attanasio, sang the national anthem. ... Roenicke said the plan at the moment was to start Randy Wolf (13-10, 3.69 ERA) for Game 4, if necessary, instead of bringing Gallardo back on short rest. ... Greinke is 11-0 with a 3.13 ERA in 15 home starts, and Milwaukee is 15-0 in those games. ... Hudson is 0-3 in his last three starts with a 4.26 ERA.

Braves loss caps Cards' unlikely run to playoffs

HOUSTON -- Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals completed one of baseball's greatest comebacks, clinching the NL wild card Wednesday night with an 8-0 win over Houston and a later loss by Atlanta.The Cardinals got their playoff spot when the Braves fell to Philadelphia 4-3 in 13 innings.St. Louis trailed Atlanta by 10½ games on Aug. 25. The Cardinals won 23 of their last 31 games. The Cardinals will open the postseason on Saturday at NL East champion Philadelphia. In the other NL playoff matchup, Arizona visits Milwaukee.Carpenter (11-9) struck out 11 and allowed two hits in his 15th career complete-game shutout as St. Louis kept up its improbable September charge."We had nothing to lose. We were already out of it," Carpenter said. "People were telling us we were done. We decided to go out and play and not embarrass ourselves and do what we can. We played ourselves back into it."The Cardinals poured onto the field after Carpenter fielded J.D. Martinez's weak grounder for the final out. The celebration was brief and muted, as the team raced into the clubhouse to watch the end of the game in Atlanta."It was exciting, there's no doubt about it," Carpenter said. "The way these guys have played the past month and a half has been amazing, every single night grinding, playing their butts off, not giving up."We continued to give ourselves an opportunity and now we are here."The teams entered Wednesday's regular-season finales with 89-72 records. Atlanta's game started an hour earlier, but the Cardinals virtually took away any hope for a Houston victory in the first inning of their contest, jumping to a 5-0 lead against Brett Myers (7-14).Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman drove in runs with singles, and David Freese doubled to left-center before Myers even recorded an out. Berkman scored when Skip Schumaker's hard grounder ricocheted off Myers' glove for an infield hit, and Freese came home on Nick Punto's single to right.Carpenter handled the rest.He had struggled at Minute Maid Park lately, going 0-3 with a 4.62 ERA in his last five starts here, but he was in total command from the start on Wednesday, striking out five of the first nine hitters he faced. He also had an RBI single in the third to drive in Freese, who reached base when right fielder Brian Bogusevic dropped his fly ball for an error.Freese led off the fifth with a double to right-center, the Cardinals' 10th hit of the game. Myers, 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA in his last five starts, hadn't allowed more than nine hits in a start since Aug. 6.Freese later scored on Schumaker's groundout to shortstop Clint Barmes for a 7-0 lead, equaling the most runs given up by Myers in 33 starts this season. Wilton Lopez replaced Myers for the start of the sixth.As the Astros batted in the seventh, the left-field scoreboard posted a 3-3 tie in the Phillies-Braves game, prompting a roar from the large contingent of Cardinals' fans in the stands behind the St. Louis dugout. Carpenter then struck out Bogusevic and Jimmy Paredes to wrap up another easy inning. Allen Craig hit a solo homer in the ninth off Lance Pendleton.The Cardinals huddled around a television in the clubhouse cafeteria after their victory.Only three weeks ago, the Cardinals had virtually lost all hope."There was absolute doubt from us," Punto said. "I remember early on in September, we were like, 'Let's just finish up strong for the fans. Let's give them something to come out and watch.'"When you're 10½ games out, that's a hole you can't climb out of," he said, "unless you get a lot of help."The Cardinals were loose and relaxed -- and confident -- before the game.Champagne was ordered for a potential postgame celebration and someone wrote, "Happy Flight! After Game" on a marker board in the clubhouse.Game notes Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said LF Matt Holliday (right hand injury) and SS Rafael Furcal (left hamstring) were unavailable on Wednesday night. ... Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan rejoined the team after missing more than a month to tend to his ailing wife. Jeanine Duncan is recovering from surgery on Aug. 21 to remove a brain tumor. Dave Duncan, La Russa's trusted assistant since the early 1980s, did not know how long he would be able to stay with the club because his wife has more medical appointments scheduled. ... The sparse crowd offered a standing ovation to Astros owner Drayton McLane after a video tribute was shown on the giant scoreboard between the second and third innings. McLane is still waiting for Major League Baseball to approve his sale of the team to Houston businessman Jim Crane for $680 million. General manager Ed Wade said before Wednesday's game that McLane still has the final say on all baseball decisions.

Red Sox start Lavarnway at catcher in No. 162

ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes on the Sox from Baltimore before game 162 More Podcasts " The 24-year-old will bat fifth in making his second career start behind the plate. The game is the biggest of the season for the Red Sox, who enter play Wednesday tied for the wild card lead with the Tampa Bay Rays, who face the New York Yankees on Wednesday in their regular season finale. Red Sox catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia (collarbone) and Jason Varitek (knee) are banged up, though Francona said Wednesday that Saltalamacchia is available to play.

Braves blanked by Nationals, wild-card lead at 1

WASHINGTON -- The top four hitters in the Braves' lineup, including Chipper Jones and Dan Uggla, went a combined 0 for 16 with five strikeouts Sunday in a 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals that cut Atlanta's NL wild-card lead over St. Louis to one game."This was a very brutal loss for us," Braves rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman said.Atlanta has dropped 10 of its past 15 games, allowing St. Louis to close in. The Braves finish the regular season with a three-game home series starting Monday against the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies. Wilson Ramos homered off Braves starter Mike Minor (5-3) in the fourth, and Michael Morse hit the 29th of his breakout season -- a two-run shot -- off reliever Cristhian Martinez in the seventh.Ross Detwiler (4-5) went six innings for Washington before a crowd of 37,638 in the final game of 2011 at Nationals Park. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four. Over his last two starts of the season, the lefty pitched 13 1/3 scoreless innings, with seven hits, seven strikeouts and three walks.The last 15 Braves batters made outs, including seven strikeouts.With nothing more at stake than a third-place finish, the Nationals have played well down the stretch, winning 12 of 15 games. That includes taking two of three from the struggling Braves."We know what's at stake. We know what every game means," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said before the game. "You've got to go out and play the game with some fun. We can't play with white knuckles on the bat and hold the ball so hard you can't throw it."There were some key moments Sunday when his hitters did fail to produce in the clutch.In the third, the Braves loaded the bases with no outs, thanks to David Ross' single and some serious wildness by Detwiler, who walked No. 8 hitter Jack Wilson and then the opposing pitcher.All told, Detwiler threw eight consecutive pitches that were called balls, going to a 3-0 count on leadoff hitter Michael Bourn -- with nowhere to put him.After finally putting one pitch over the plate for a called strike -- and drawing sarcastic cheers from the crowd at Nationals Park -- Detwiler got Bourn to fly out to left in foul territory. Bearing down some more, Detwiler got out of the inning unscathed: Martin Prado hit a fly to right that wasn't deep enough for Ross to try to tag up and head for home, before Jones grounded out.The bottom of the order gave the Braves another opportunity to score two innings later, but again they came away with nothing to show for it.Ross led off with an infield single, Wilson singled to center, and Minor moved them up with a sacrifice bunt -- putting runners at second and third with one out. But Bourn lined out to second and Prado flied out."You need to get those runs in," Uggla said, "or more than likely it's going to come back to haunt you."In each of his other four innings, Detwiler faced the minimum three hitters.Henry Rodriguez replaced Detwiler in the seventh and was rather impressive, regularly reaching 100 or 101 mph and striking out all three batters he faced. He got pinch hitter Jason Heyward swinging at a 100 mph fastball, Ross on a two-strike foul bunt on a 101 mph offering, and Wilson looking at an 88 mph slider with a ton of movement.Tyler Clippard pitched the eighth, and closer Drew Storen got the last three outs for his 42nd save in 47 chances.Minor hadn't lost in his preceding 11 starts; his last loss came May 31 against San Diego. He threw 4 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and one run.Game notes Braves RHP Kris Medlen came on in relief in the eighth inning, his first appearance since Aug. 4, 2010. Medlen had reconstructive elbow surgery later that month and came off the disabled list Saturday. ... Braves INF Alex Gonzalez was out of the starting lineup with a strained right calf muscle for the fourth consecutive game. He said he might be able to play Monday against Philadelphia. ... The Braves will send RHP Randall Delgado (1-1) to the mound in the first game of their season-ending series against the Phillies, who will start LHP Cliff Lee (16-8). ... In Wednesday's season finale, the Braves could start RHP Tommy Hanson (on the DL since Aug. 7 with right shoulder tendinitis) if they've already clinched a playoff berth, Fredi Gonzalez said. Otherwise, RHP Tim Hudson will start on regular rest. ... Atlanta RHP Jair Jurrjens threw three innings in the Instructional League Saturday, and Gonzalez said he could be activated from the DL for the first round of the playoffs. Jurrjens (strained right knee) has been out since Aug. ... Atlanta LHP George Sherrill (left elbow) could be activated this week. ... Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg will be on an innings limit next season, GM Mike Rizzo said. ... Washington wraps up the season with a three-game series at the Florida Marlins. LHP Tommy Milone -- the Nationals are 4-0 in the rookie's four major league starts -- will pitch Monday against Florida's Anibal Sanchez.