A disputed infield fly ruling stymied a late Braves rally as the Cards claimed the Wild Card game with a 6-3 victory Friday to reach the National League Division Series.

Chipper Jones shouldered the Braves’ 6-3 loss to the Cardinals on Friday, when their season — and his career — ended.

The Cardinals shocked the Braves, 6-3, in the first game of this new format, but it was a disputed infield fly call in the eighth inning that will be remembered in this historic event at Turner Field.

The National League Wild Card game erupted into controversy in the eighth inning at Turner Field on Friday night, when a disputed infield fly rule call sent the game into chaos.

Kyle Lohse was not the sexy pick for a must-win game, but he was the most deserving. And after being tagged by a home run early, he allowed the Braves nothing more, handing a lead to a bullpen that went on to record the final 10 outs in a 6-3 Wild Card win.

Clearly managing more aggressively than he would in a middle-of-the-summer game, Cardinals skipper Mike Matheny, as justified by the outcome, made all the right moves Friday.

Four experienced umpires have signed on to serve as instructors at the 2012 Major League Baseball Umpire Camp, which will be held in early November at the league’s flagship Urban Youth Academy facility in Compton, Calif.

If Dusty Baker needed an extra jolt to the system, this NLDS — and San Francisco in particular — is just what the doctor ordered. This, after all, is his home. It’s where he got his first shot as a skipper, and it’s where he endured the first, and worst, of his managerial heartbreaks — a loss to the Angels in the 2002 World Series.

Pablo Sandoval understands this Division Series showdown against the Reds represents a chance for redemption in the wake of his disappointing postseason performance two years ago.

In the final game of his career, Chipper Jones’ throwing error fueled the three-run fourth inning the Cardinals used to propel themselves to a 6-3 win over the Braves in the National League’s Wild Card playoff on Friday night at Turner Field.

This was not the way it was supposed to end for Chipper Jones. Those who had seen him homer twice in his first career postseason game and again on his 40th birthday certainly had reason to expect a grand finale. But it didn’t work out that way.

Jarrod Parker didn’t make the A’s out of Spring Training, but he’s leading them into the postseason as their starter for Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Tigers.

Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said on Thursday that the club is moving forward with offseason plans to “beautify and modernize” Dodger Stadium.

The Angels and Chris Iannetta voided their mutual option for next season on Friday, instead agreeing to a three-year extension that will delay free agency and keep the veteran catcher in Southern California through 2015.

The Indians have taken the next step in their managerial search, bringing Terry Francona to Progressive Field on Friday for a formal interview.

Jayson Werth is set to make his sixth postseason appearance, but most of his teammates will be experiencing playoff baseball for the first time.

The Reds have had a parade of closers with various levels of effectiveness for the past several seasons. But this year, Aroldis Chapman and his triple-digit velocity provided previously missing electricity in the ninth inning that had fans in the ballpark on the edge of their seat and viewers at home stopping what they were doing to pay attention.