Plauderecke » 0-for-6, and Billy Burns, who is 1-for-5. Lorenzo Cain is

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Los Angeles Dodgers will be making a lot longer trip than they hoped to begin the playoffs.Ace Clayton Kershaw got outpitched by rookie Ty Blach and the NL West champion Dodgers lost to the San Francisco Giants 3-0 Saturday, costing them a chance at home-field advantage in the Division Series.Los Angeles has lost four of five since clinching their fourth straight division title.Rather than commuting from their homes to Dodger Stadium, the LA contingent will open the best-of-five playoffs at NL East champion Washington.Were on a little bit of a slide here but were still in good position, manager Dave Roberts said.Kershaw (12-4) gave up three runs, two of them unearned, in seven innings. He gave up a home run to Angel Pagan in the fifth to break a scoreless tie.They were swinging from the get-go, Kershaw said. I made a few dumb pitches, a few I shouldnt have thrown. Probably caught too much of the plate on a few. Overall it was kind of a frustrating day.Kershaw is set to pitch the playoff opener in Washington.The Dodgers-Giants result was posted on the videoboard at Nationals Park in the seventh inning while Washington played Miami. It was announced that the Nationals had clinched the home field, and the crowd responded with a standing ovation.The Giants stayed one game ahead of St. Louis for the second NL wild-card slot. The Cardinals beat visiting Pittsburgh 4-3 earlier in the day.Matt Moore will start for the Giants on Sunday, and a win -- or St. Louis loss -- puts them in the playoffs. The New York Mets will host the NL wild-card game on Wednesday night.Blach (1-0) earned his first big league victory, pitching eight innings of three-hit ball. He struck out six and walked one in his second start in the majors, and also got his first two hits.This was the fourth game in the majors for Blach since the 25-year-old lefty made his major league debut in September.Thats one of the best pitching performances Ive seen, with this kid having a month in the major leagues, the stage he was on, whats at stake, who he was going against, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. He just had great focus and great command. This kid was locked in.Sergio Romo pitched a hitless ninth for his fourth save.One day after gaining national attention for body-slamming a fan who had run onto the field, Pagan hit a 1-1 pitch from Kershaw into the left-field stands. It was Pagans 12th home run of the season and his first off Kershaw in 68 career at-bats.The Dodgers were limited to three singles and got only one runner to second base.Blach got Joc Pederson to ground into an inning-ending double play in the second after the Dodgers put two on, struck out the side looking in the third and retired 11 straight during one stretch.Los Angeles third baseman Justin Turner also committed a throwing error in the seventh when the Giants scored a pair of unearned runs off Kershaw.Kershaw retired 12 of the first 13 before Pagans one-out homer leading off the fifth.UP NEXTDodgers: Kenta Maeda (16-10) pitches the finale at AT&T Park on Sunday. The right-hander is unbeaten in three career starts against San Francisco.Giants: Moore (12-12) faces the Dodgers after matching his career-high of 11 strikeouts against Colorado in his previous start. Miami Marlins Shirts . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. Marlins Jerseys China . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. https://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.us/ . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Custom Miami Marlins Jerseys . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Fake Marlins Jerseys . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The 2015 World Series champion Kansas City Royals are playing in August as they intend to defend their title this fall.The Royals dusted off the New York Yankees 8-5 in the Monday opener of a three-game series. The Royals are 18-4 in their past 22 games. They are an American League-best 20-7 in August, clinching their first 20-victory month since winning 21 in August 1989. The franchise record for August victories is 23 in 1980 when the franchise made its first World Series appearance.The recent surge moved the Royals within two games of the Baltimore Orioles for the final wild-card postseason berth. They are in third place in the American League Central 5 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Indians, while the Detroit Tigers remain a game in front of the Royals.Manager Ned Yost used closer Kelvin Herrera for a four-out save Monday when the Yankees trimmed an 8-1 Kansas City lead to 8-5 with a four-run eighth inning off relievers Chris Young and Peter Moylan.Every game is important from here on out, Yost said.The Royals have 31 games left, but only 12 on the road.The Royals will start erratic right-hander Edinson Volquez on Tuesday night against the Yankees. Volquez has won his past two starts to even his record at 10-10 with a 4.88 ERA. He is looking to climb above .500 for the first time since June 3, when he had a 5-4 record.Volquez is 6-3 with a 4.25 ERA at home, compared to a 4-7 record with a 5.72 ERA on the road. He is 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA in three career starts. He last faced them on May 17, 2015, throwing seven scoreless innings in a 6-0 shutout at Kauffman Stadium.The Yankees will counter with right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, who has tossed 14 2/3 scoreless innings in his past two starts, allowing 11 hitss, walking one and striking out 14.dddddddddddd He is the first Yankees pitcher with back-to-back scoreless starts of at least seven innings since Hiroki Kuroda on July 25 and July 31, 2013.Tanaka has won four straight starts, the second longest streak of his career. He reeled off five straight victories from May 25-June 17, 2014. Tanaka, who is 11-4, ranks seventh in the AL with a 3.11 ERA, while his 1.07 WHIP ranks third. He has registered at least eight strikeouts without a walk in three starts from Aug. 7-19.The only Royals hitters with more than three at-bats against Tanaka are Kendrys Morales, who is 0-for-6, and Billy Burns, who is 1-for-5. Lorenzo Cain is 2-for-3 off Tanaka, with both hits home runs, and four RBI. Cheslor Cuthbert is also 2-for-3 off Tanaka with a home run.Yankees manager Joe Girardi did not complete nine innings Monday. He was ejected in the eighth inning by plate umpire Brian ONora after he called a strike on Didi Gregorius.Two different strike zones, Girardi said. Its unfortunate. Even the broadcasters were talking about it in the eighth and ninth inning. I dont know why. Im frustrated by it. I dont know if you give the catchers credit. I know the last inning and the inning before that Im watching on TV and I see it. 0-1 is a lot different than 1-and-0 a lot of times.The Yankees, like the Royals, remain in the chase for a postseason spot.Its frustrating because these games mean a lot, Girardi said of what he considered a questionable strike zone. Were playing hard. Our guys are giving it everything theyve got and to be put in those holes. ... It just changes the count. ' ' '