George Kontos has rewarded the Giants’ postseason call by becoming much more than a bullpen afterthought, notching four key scoreless appearances as the first reliever out of the bullpen in the NLDS.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny is in the unique position of being able to turn to Lance Lynn — who was used out of the bullpen in the NLDS but was 17-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 29 starts during the regular season — for Game 1 of the NLCS.

Cardinals players and staff gathered briefly at AT&T Park on Saturday afternoon, but after landing in San Francisco around sunrise, they did not hold an organized on-field workout.

Manager Mike Matheny announced on Saturday that the Cardinals’ 25-man roster will remain unchanged as the club moves on to the National League Championship Series against the Giants.

Before their careers would so directly intersect, Mike Matheny and Yadier Molina eyed each other with envy.

Buster Posey has literally picked himself up off the ground and continued to rise. The San Francisco Giants catcher has ascended to the level of stardom and performance enjoyed by few. Posey essentially gives the Giants a chance to win just by showing up for work.

Hot off his best game as a Major League player, Cardinals second baseman Daniel Descalso couldn’t imagine his good fortune. He marveled at the fact that his club is about to open the NLCS against the Giants only 25 miles north of where he was born.

Just as he was pivotal in the final two steps of the Giants’ unprecedented road rebound from the 0-2 NLDS hole, Pablo Sandoval is a key to their hopes for a return to the World Series.

The transition at pitching coach may not have had the same high profile that the other changes on the Cardinals, but there’s no doubt that the smooth takeover was crucial in St. Louis getting back to the postseason.

Mike Matheny and the Cardinals are still wearing their uniforms, playing games that count and in position to defend a World Series championship. Talk about passing the managerial entrance exam.

The Giants have company in the “can’t-be-killed” department, because that’s a quality the NLCS opponent Cardinals share.

Raul Ibanez delivered another huge ninth-inning home run, but Delmon Young drove in the game-winner in the 12th as the Tigers defeated the Yankees, 6-4, in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium.

After the Tigers lost a four-run lead in the ninth, Delmon Young’s third RBI hit of the night, a double in the 12th, pulled Detroit back in front, leading to a 6-4 win over the Yankees on Friday in Game 1 of the ALCS.

Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter didn’t get much into specifics for an Orioles club that returns a core group of young players, as Saturday afternoon was a chance to step back and appreciate everything accomplished in 2012.

A telling scene played out around a small television set at a barbecue restaurant in Berkeley, Calif., this week during the final few innings of Giants-Reds Game 5.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said his contract status is a “non-issue” and he praised managing partner Peter Angelos Saturday morning for making the commitment to hire him in-season in 2010 in the first place.

About 45 minutes after CC Sabathia fired the final out of the American League Division Series into Mark Teixeira’s glove, manager Joe Girardi was huddling with his coaches plotting the Yankees’ pitching for the next round.