Athletics, Braves advance to next round of postseason

Thursday marked the third consecutive day of postseason baseball.

After three series concluded on Wednesday, five games were set to be played on Thursday, but that number dropped to four after the league postponed Game 2 of the Cubs-Marlins series due to inclement weather.

Game 2 between the Cubs and Marlins will be made up on Friday, Oct. 2 at 2:08 p.m. EST. If necessary, Game 3 will occur on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 3:38 p.m. EST. The Marlins currently hold a 1-0 series lead.

Here’s a breakdown of the games that went final on Thursday.

Oakland Athletics 6, Chicago White Sox 4

The Athletics rallied back in this series after losing the first game, ultimately defeating the White Sox. Dane Dunning took the mound for Chicago in the series finale but was pulled after just 15 pitches. As manager Rick Renteria later explained, they determined pre-game that Dunning would likely be pulled if he allowed a runner in scoring position. Garrett Crochet and Aaron Bummer threw scoreless relief outings while the Chicago offensee started the damage. Luis Robert hit a solo homer in the second and an RBI single in the third before Nomar Mazara doubled in a run. However, Oakland took the lead in the fourth as Sean Murphy homered and Mark Canha and Matt Olson both added RBI walks. Nomar Mazara tied the game in the fifth with a single, but the A’s bounced back just moments later with a two-run double from Adam Engel that would end up being the difference-maker.

Athletics win series, 2-1
Next game: OAK plays in ALDS on Oct. 5 vs. HOU

Atlanta Braves 5, Cincinnati Reds 0

The Braves silenced the Reds for the second straight game, finishing the series with six runs scored and zero allowed over 22 innings. In the finale, Ian Anderson went the distance with nine strikeouts and just two hits over six innings before the bullpen took over and preserved the victory. On the other side, Luis Castillo allowed just one run (Ronald Acuña RBI double) on six hits and seven strikeouts through 5.1 innings. Cincinnati’s one-run deficit remained intact until the eighth inning, when Marcell Ozuna and Adam Duvall each hit two-run home runs off Raisel Iglesias. The Reds were held to just two hits while Atlanta had nine, including a three-hit effort from Acuña.

Braves win series, 2-0
Next game: ATL plays in NLDS on Oct. 6 vs. CHC/MIA

San Diego Padres 11, St. Louis Cardinals 8

The Padres came back ready to battle after falling behind early in the series. St. Louis jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after Yadier Molina and Harrison Badder tagged one-run singles and Kolten Wong added a two-run home run off of Zach Davies. The right-hander finished with four runs on five hits in two innings. San Diego added two runs in the fourth but fell behind by four again in the sixth. Just moments later, however, young star Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a three-run homer and Manny Machado followed it up with a solo sot of his own, tying the game. Wil Myers homered to give San Diego the lead in the seventh just moments before Tatis hit a two-run shot, good for his second blast of the game. Down by three, the Cardinals chipped away the deficit in the eighth as Bader and Wong both hit sacrifice flies. However, with his Padres up by one, Myers hit a two-run homer—his second dinger of the game—in the bottom of the eighth. The Cardinals threatened to keep the game alive in the ninth as Paul Goldschmidt homered and Dylan Carlson and Yadier Molina reached base, but it was all for naught as Paul DeJong popped out, Matt Carpenter struck out, and Dexter Fowler grounded out. In the end, it was Tatis who stole the show on offense with his three hits and five RBI, but Myers also deserves recognition after adding four RBI on two hit. Even on the other side, Wong plated four of the Cardinals’ runs, serving as one of the many bright spots that occurred despite the loss.

Series tied, 1-1
Next game: Oct. 2 at 10:08 p.m. EST