Pirates Upend Reds, Move To NLDS, MLB News

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- Russell Martin hit a pair of solo homers and the Pirates went on to a 6-2 win over the Reds in the NL Wild Card Game at PNC Park. Martin says the crowd was in on every pitch.

Marlon Byrd also homered and drove in two while Andrew McCutchen finished 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and a run.  Francisco Liriano tossed seven innings of one-run ball to grab the win for Pittsburgh, which will face the NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Divisional Series starting Thursday. Johnny Cueto  allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings to take the loss for Cincinnati. Shin-Soo Choo hit a solo homer and Ryan Ludwick went 3-for-4 in the loss, which ends the Reds' season.

Rays Meet Indians In AL Wild Card Game Tonight

(Cleveland, OH) -- The Tampa Bay Rays are in a must-win situation once again as they meet the Cleveland Indians in the AL Wild Card game tonight at Progressive Field. Alex Cobb will get the ball for Tampa. Cobb says he tries to learn from ace David Price and hopes to duplicate his outing from Monday.

Cleveland will counter with Danny Salazar.  Indians manager Terry Francona says they have a ton of confidence in Salazar.

The Rays knocked off the Texas Rangers 5-2 in the tiebreaker game on Monday.  Tampa won four of the six meetings with Cleveland this season.  The winner of tonight's game will face the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS starting Friday.

Yankees To Offer Girardi New Deal

(Bronx, NY) -- It looks like rumors that would bring Joe Girardi to Chicago to be the Cubs next manager are being put to bed. The New York Yankees are expected to offer Girardi a new deal today. Yanks general manager Brian Cashman had previously declined to say if he would grant Girardi permission to speak to the Cubs about their managerial vacancy.

Cardinals Gear Up For Playoffs

(St. Louis, MO) -- The Cardinals have their opponent for the NL Division Series. Pittsburgh's win over Cincinnati Tuesday means the Cardinals will open at home against their division rivals the Pirates.  With 97 wins, St. Louis has home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs. The Cardinals will open the NLDS Thursday at 4 p.m.at Busch Stadium.

Cubs Apologize For Memorabilia Dump

(Chicago, IL) -- The Cubs are apologizing for an unfortunate gaffe. The team began some postseason cleaning on Monday by setting up a dumpster near the players parking lot. Among the items tossed were banners of Cubs players as well as a card signed by fans to honor Cubs great Ron Santo, who died of cancer in 2010. The team says it was a mistake.

Royals Extend Yost Two Years

(Kansas City, MO) -- Ned Yost is returning to the Kansas City Royals dugout. The veteran manager has agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2015 season. Yost led the Royals to an 86-76 mark this season, the team's first winning season since 2003 and its best finish since 92 wins in 1989.

Tuesday, October 1 Scoreboard

NL Wild Card Game

Pittsburgh Pirates 6, Cincinnati Reds 2

Wednesday, October 2 Schedule (Time Central)

AL Wild Card Game

7:07 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Indians