ATLANTA – Freddie Freeman put the bitter ending to last season behind him with a walk-off, two-run home run that clinched a National League playoff berth for the Atlanta Braves Tuesday. Freeman blasted the game-winner to give the Braves a 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins, one year after he made the final out of the season that saw the team blow an 8 1/2-game lead in the wild card race. “This is the coolest thing I've ever had happen to me in my life,” Freeman told reporters after being mobbed by teammates celebrating Atlanta's return to the post-season. “This is a dream come true. I just don't know what to say.” Atlanta (89-65) still has a chance to catch NL East leader Washington, who it trails by four games. The Braves will return to the post-season for the first time since 2010 and for the 16th time in the last 22 seasons of play. Cardinals 4, Astros 0: Jaime Garcia pitched seven sharp innings and Jon Jay drove in two runs to help the St. Louis Cardinals improve their playoff chances with a 4-0 victory over the Houston Astros. The Cardinals won their fourth straight and extended their winning streak over the last-place Astros to a franchise-best 10 games. They also moved 4½ games ahead of Milwaukee in the race for the second NL wild card. The Brewers lost in Cincinnati 4-2. The Dodgers, who played later in San Diego, began the day 3½ back. Reds 4, Brewers 2: Johnny Cueto pitched seven solid innings, and the Cincinnati Reds stayed in the chase for the NL's top record by beating Milwaukee after learning they'll be without their manager for the rest of the week. The Brewers dropped back-to-back games for the first time in more than a month, and fell to 4½ games behind St. Louis for the final NL wild card spot as the Cardinals later beat Houston 4-0. Phillies 6, Nationals 3: Darin Ruf homered for his first major league hit, Carlos Ruiz and Domonic Brown also went deep as Philadelphia beat playoff-bound Washington. Cole Hamels (16-6) overcame five shaky innings to set a career high in wins and help the five-time defending NL East champion Phillies keep their faint postseason hopes alive. Hamels allowed three runs and seven hits, tying his shortest outing of the year. Pirates 10, Mets 6: Pedro Alvarez hit his 30th homer and drove in four runs as Pittsburgh ended the Mets' four-game winning streak. Pittsburgh avoided elimination in the playoff race, remaining mathematically in contention for the second NL wild-card spot. Rockies 10, Cubs 5, (6 1-2 innings, rain): DJ LeMahieu had three hits and finished a home run short of the cycle and Wilin Rosario went deep for Colorado in a rain-shortened game. Matt McBride homered and Chris Nelson had three hits for the Rockies, who won a matchup of two 94-loss teams. Carlos Torres (5-3) got the win after allowing one run in two innings of relief. The teams played in a constant drizzle throughout the game with temperatures hovering in the low 50s. Diamondbacks 7, Giants 2: Paul Goldschmidt hit a three-run homer and a pair of sacrifice flies for a career-high five RBIs, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the NL West champion San Francisco Giants 7-2. Goldschmidt on his own gave Josh Collmenter (5-3) plenty of support as Arizona won for the seventh time in its last nine games. The D-backs are trying to keep their slim NL wild-card hopes alive. Dodgers 2, Padres 1: Josh Beckett lost for the third time in six starts with the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose playoff chances were dealt a blow in a 2-1 loss to the San Diego Padres. — Agencies
