Meister der Farbe » protection. Otherwise, Arizona seems pretty set --

SAN FRANCISCO -- Bruce Bochy gave his guys an afternoon off from batting practice and a late report time to the ballpark. His players got a chance to rest up a bit and refresh themselves with a mental break from the September grind.It went so well, the Giants manager is going with the same plan Friday.I think it was a really good call by Boch, outfielder Hunter Pence said. He had a big impact on refueling us.And then, Johnny Cueto went out and inspired his teammates with a timely gem.The fist-pumping pitcher tossed a five-hitter and retired his final 17 batters, and San Francisco gained ground in the playoff race with a 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night.Every game that I pitch or will pitch from now on, Im going to treat it like a playoff game, Cueto said.The Cardinals loss clinched the NL Central title for the Chicago Cubs.Pence hit a two-run homer, Cueto (16-5) had a go-ahead sacrifice fly and Angel Pagan followed with an RBI single.Denard Span added a two-run single in the seventh for San Francisco, and Buster Posey had four hits.The Giants gained a game on the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, who are ahead by four after losing at Arizona.San Francisco also moved a game in front of the idle New York Mets and two up on the Cardinals in the chase for the two NL wild cards. St. Louis opened a 10-game road trip, its last of 2016.This is an important time for us. Im not trying to downplay the game, but we do have time left, Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright said. We have plenty of time left to make this thing happen.Cueto struck out seven and walked one in his fifth complete game, tying Chris Sale of the White Sox for most in the majors. Cueto threw 105 pitches in a game that was done in 2 hours, 33 minutes.He outdueled Wainwright (11-9), and the San Francisco lineup delivered a day after the Giants were swept by the San Diego Padres in a lackluster three-game series.Cueto allowed Randal Grichuks RBI single in the fourth. But with the Giants closer-by-committee struggles, he gave the bullpen a much-needed break.When the pitcher showed up at 5:10 p.m. -- on time with the late report -- he felt as though he was late.You take a step back really and just reframe, refresh, regroup. It really felt good, Pence said. I think a lot of people had some good time away from the field and come in, get back together, feeling good.This marked the fourth regular-season matchup between Cueto and Wainwright dating to the San Francisco right-handers time in the NL Central with Cincinnati. Cueto beat Wainwright for the second time this season after a June 3 win.Span was dropped to eighth in the order in an effort to get his bat going.Wainwright intentionally walked Span in the fourth with runners on second and third to bring up Cueto, who hit sacrifice fly for the go-ahead run.PLAYOFF VIBEFormer Giants catcher and current Cardinals manager Mike Matheny recognized the crisp air and was reminded of all the playoff series St. Louis has played in recent years at AT&T Park. The Giants beat the Cardinals in the NL Championship Series in 2012 and `14, going on to win the World Series each time.It hasnt worked out real well a lot of times for us here, so wed like to change that part of it, Matheny said. It just seems like that postseason feel because of the excitement.BOCHYS HEART WALKBochy will help kick off the American Heart Associations Heart Walk on Friday afternoon, with his portion being a short jaunt from near the iconic Ferry Building to the ballpark.Giants executive and ticket chief Russ Stanley, who had quintuple bypass surgery in April, will walk with Bochy in honor of another colleague -- Raul Rodriguez -- who died this year of heart disease.TRAINERS ROOMCardinals: SS Aledmys Diaz was out of the lineup. He came off the disabled list Sunday after he had been out since July 31 with a broken right thumb. We had to watch how he responded the first two games and you could tell his hand was fine, its just the rest of his body was not quite in that consistent game-playing shape yet, Matheny said, saying Diaz will be re-evaluated before Fridays game. ... RHP Trevor Rosenthal was activated from the 15-day disabled list. He had been sidelined since July 26 with inflammation in his pitching shoulder, that after losing his job as closer in late June. ... RHP Alex Reyes is set to start Sunday, replacing Jaime Garcia as he moves to the bullpen.Giants: 3B Eduardo Nunez returned to the lineup after missing three games with tightness in his back.UP NEXTCardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (1-2, 3.48 ERA) looks for his first win in four starts since beating Oakland on Aug. 26.Giants: LHP Matt Moore (3-4, 4.05) will face the Cardinals for the first time in his career. He is looking to win for the fourth time in five starts as he makes his ninth start since joining San Francisco in a trade with Tampa Bay. Tevin Coleman Jersey . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Dante Pettis Jersey . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. http://www.custom49ersjersey.com/custom-monty-stickles-jersey-large-1388d.html .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Jeff Kemp Jersey ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. Frankie Albert Jersey . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. The NFL trade deadline never quite stirs up the interest seen at that time of year in other professional sports.I never even know when the trade deadline is. Youre never going to see those blockbuster trades like you would see in the NBA or baseball. Thats just not the nature of football, Washington Redskins left tackle Trent Williams said.Whys that?In the NFL, its almost like a coach gets his guy, and thats who he wants to grow and mature. ... `I drafted this guy; I know what I drafted him for. Guys get brought in based on pure style, as opposed to pure talent, in some cases, Williams said. That has a lot to do with why there are fewer trades in this sport.Even if moves are few and far between, every NFL team -- some more than others -- could use help ahead of Tuesdays deadline for making deals. So AP reporters took on the role of general manager to offer thoughts on what each clubs most pressing need is.Heres a look at the NFC:---NFC EAST :DALLAS COWBOYS: DE -- The Cowboys will need pass rushers until second-round picks DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory show the ability to be cornerstones. In Gregorys case, it may not happen.PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: WR -- The Eagles need to get Carson Wentz some help on the outside: They dont have anyone that ranks in the NFLs top 40 in receiving yards.WASHINGTON REDSKINS: RB -- The Redskins didnt do much in the offseason to boost their running game after letting Alfred Morris head to Dallas as a free agent, figuring they could count on 2015 draft pick Matt Jones. But Jones fumbling issues from his rookie year have resurfaced.NEW YORK GIANTS: OL -- The right side of the line is weak, so a RT or RG would be a boost to a run game thats been a real weakness, averaging an NFL-worst 70.3 yards per game. RT Marshall Newhouse, never dominant to begin with, has missed time with a calf injury, and replacement Bobby Hart is average.---NFC SOUTH :ATLANTA FALCONS: RB -- Tevin Colemans recent hamstring injury revealed a lack of depth at RB. Starter Devonta Freeman was the only other true RB on active roster, though FB Patrick DiMarco could take emergency carries. Out of desperation, the Falcons brought up Terron Ward from the practice squad and signed free agent Stevan Ridley. If Freeman were to miss time, theyd be in real trouble.TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: TE -- The Bucs could use another playmaker for young QB Jameis Winston, and the team hasnt had a tight end it could count on as a receiver since Kellen Winslow from 2009-11. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, a second-round draft pick in 2014, arrived with big expectations but struggled to remain healthy in two-plus seasons and was released after a DUI arrest in September.NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: CB -- While the Saints hope to get top CB Delvin Breaux back soon from a broken fibula, they could use another good cover cornerback. P.J. Williams is out for the year (concussion), while undrafted rookie Ken Crawley has shown promise, but his inexperience has been exposed. The Saints, who tried to bolster the position by signing street free agents Sterling Moore and B.W. Webb, rank 30th in passing yards allowed per game.CAROLINA PANTHERRS: DE -- The defending NFC champions have struggled getting pressure on the QB from their front four all season.dddddddddddd Starting DEs Charles Johnson and Kony Ealy have combined for just half a sack this season. Carolina could use a pass-rushing specialist to take some of the pressure off their young secondary, which features two rookie CBs.---NFC NORTH :MINNESOTA VIKINGS: OL -- The Vikings have been in patchwork mode up front since LT Matt Kalil went on IR after the second game. RT Andre Smith joined him soon after. And RG Mike Harris is out indefinitely with an unspecified illness.GREEN BAY PACKERS: RB -- Yes, GM Ted Thompson already pulled off a trade with Kansas City for Knile Davis, who was buried on the Chiefs depth chart. But with Eddie Lacy out at least another seven weeks with an ankle injury, and backup James Starks nursing a knee injury, it might be nice for the offense to have another experienced RB.DETROIT LIONS: RB -- The Lions have had their backfield depleted by injuries, losing Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick and Dwayne Washington for extended stretches. Matthew Staffords chances of consistently moving the ball through the air will get a boost if defenses need to worry about a solid running game.CHICAGO BEARS: A bit of everything -- As their 1-6 record makes clear, the Bears could use a lot of help in a lot of areas with an eye to next season, from either a backup quarterback or a young quarterback, to a topflight receiver, to a proven running back, to help in the secondary.---NFC WEST :SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: OL -- The offensive line continues to be a glaring weakness. It took another hit when LT Bradley Sowell was lost for at least a few weeks with a sprained ligament in his right knee. While Seattle has been adequate in pass blocking, the run game has really struggled: The team is 27th in the NFL, averaging 82.7 yards per game rushing.ARIZONA CARDINALS: OL -- Theyre thin along the offensive line after Evan Mathis went on IR, and QB Carson Palmer could use better protection. Otherwise, Arizona seems pretty set -- unless it decides to go get a PK to replace Chandler Catanzaro.LOS ANGELES RAMS: DB -- The biggest need is probably in the secondary, where top CB Trumaine Johnson has been out for several weeks. A solid DB would boost an area lacking depth in a pass-first sport.SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: Draft picks -- Mired in a six-game losing streak thats the teams longest in eight years, its time for the Niners to start looking to the future. They should look to trade veterans with value, such as WR Torrey Smith or LT Joe Staley, in hopes of bringing back extra draft picks or an unproven young player who could develop into a starter.---Contributing: Genaro Armas, Greg Beacham, Tim Booth, Dave Campbell, Tom Canavan, Schuyler Dixon, Josh Dubow, Howard Fendrich, Fred Goodall, Larry Lage, Rob Maaddi, Brett Martel, Charles Odum, Steve Reed, Andrew Seligman, Tom Withers.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '