Braves Hand Cubs Another Defeat

The Atlanta Braves sent the Chicago Cubs to the verge of wild-card elimination, holding on for a 5-4 victory Friday at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs scored three times in the ninth inning but lost for the sixth time in seven games and fell two games behind the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants in the wild-card race.

Frustrated fans littered the outfield with debris just before the bottom of the eighth inning and the grounds crew had to clean it up, delaying the game for a couple of minutes.

In the ninth, pinch-hitter Ben Grieve hit a two-run double off Chris Reitsma that made it 5-3. Pinch-hitter Jose Macias then hit a run-scoring single off Kevin Gryboski. Corey Patterson struck out and Derrek Lee hit a hard comebacker that glanced off Gryboski’s glove to shortstop Rafael Furcal, who threw him out.

Atlanta clinched home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Before the game, WGN-TV analyst Steve Stone met with Cub president Andy MacPhail, General Manager Jim Hendry and Manager Dusty Baker after the broadcaster questioned managerial strategy and criticized the team after Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Reds.

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Houston 4, Colorado 2 -- Jeff Bagwell hit a two-run homer at Houston to help the Astros keep a share of the wild-card lead. The Astros have won a club-record 16 in a row at home.

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St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 1 -- Rick Ankiel won his first game in 3 1/2 years with a four-inning relief stint at St. Louis marred only by an errant curveball that beaned a batter. He gave up two hits, including a home run to Keith Ginter.

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San Diego 3, Arizona 2 -- The Padres found out between the second and third innings at Phoenix that they were eliminated from wild-card contention, then won when pinch-hitter Miguel Ojeda hit a two-run homer in the seventh.

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Philadelphia 6, Florida 2 -- Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco homered, and Cory Lidle (12-12) pitched six solid innings at Philadelphia and the Phillies clinched second place in the East Division.

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Cincinnati 5, Pittsburgh 1 -- At Cincinnati, Barry Larkin homered in his final at-bat in what could be one of his final games in a Reds’ uniform. Larkin, 40, is concluding his 19th season with his hometown team.

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Montreal 4, New York 2 -- Terrmel Sledge hit an RBI double in the top of the eighth and the Expos ended a five-game losing streak.