Braves lose heartbreaker against Marlins, 6-5
MIAMI (AP) - The sliding Atlanta Braves stumbled again Monday night, losing 6-5 to the Florida Marlins on Omar Infante's game-ending two-run homer.
Atlanta now has dropped three of four, and its NL wild-card lead is down to 2½ games over surging St. Louis, which beat Roy Halladay and the Phillies 4-3 in Philadelphia. The Braves have eight games remaining, the Cardinals nine.
Rookie closer Craig Kimbrel came in to preserve Atlanta's 5-4 lead and retired the first two batters he faced in the ninth. But Emilio Bonifacio then hit a chopper to third baseman Chipper Jones, who could not field the infield hit.
Infante then drove a 1-0 pitch to deep left for his first game-ending homer. Infante's sixth homer of the season also came against his former team.
Lohse outpitches Halladay, Cards gain ground
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Kyle Lohse outpitched Roy Halladay, and the St. Louis Cardinals held off the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Monday night to gain ground on Atlanta in the NL wild-card chase.
Lance Berkman homered and had an RBI single for the surging Cardinals, who moved within 2½ games of the wild card-leading Braves. Atlanta lost 6-5 at Florida on Omar Infante's two-run homer off closer Craig Kimbrel with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
St. Louis, which took three of four in the series, has won 10 of 12 overall.
The defeat prevented Philadelphia from clinching home-field advantage throughout the postseason - at least momentarily. The NL East champions needed just a win or a Milwaukee loss to the Chicago Cubs to wrap up home field.
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