Disaster averted

Running around the bases not feeling my feet hit the ground was a great feeling.

YADIER Molina blasts the sacrifice fly to lift St. Louis past Atlanta. AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) — St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina drove in the tying and winning runs to rally the Cardinals past Atlanta, 5-4, in 10 innings and force a one-game showdown to advance in the Major League Baseball playoffs Monday.

The Cardinals pulled level at 2-2 in the best-of-five series with the final game on Wednesday in Atlanta with the winner advancing to the National League Championship Series.

St. Louis second baseman Kolten Wong doubled down the left-field line off Atlanta reliever Julio Teheran in the 10th and Marcell Ozuna, who hit two home runs, reached on a fielder’s choice that sent Wong to third.

Molina, who had singled in the tying run in the eighth inning, then blasted a sacrifice fly to left field, Wong racing across home plate well ahead of the throw with the winning run.

“I was ready to hit the fastball and he gave it to me right down the middle,” said Molina, in his 93rd career playoff start. “We put some good at-bats together in the last inning and we got the win.”

In the American League, Tampa Bay’s Kevin Kiermaier smashed a three-run homer to help power the Rays over Houston, 10-3, to sustain their title hopes.

Tampa Bay pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-five series and will host Game 4 on Tuesday when Houston’s Justin Verlander will pitch on short rest to seek a series-winning victory.

Paul Goldschmidt and Ozuna smacked back-to-back solo homers off Atlanta starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel in the first inning.

Ozzie Albies hit a sacrifice fly in the third to open Atlanta’s scoring but Ozuna followed in the fourth with another solo homer for a 3-1 St. Louis edge.

The Braves grabbed a 4-3 lead in the fifth when Albies smashed a two-out, two-run homer after Dansby Swanson doubled and scored on an error by Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter.

The Braves came away empty after leaving the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh innings and relief ace Shane Greene couldn’t silence the Cardinals in the eighth.

Goldschmidt slapped a one-out double down the left-field line and Molina singled off the glove of Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman to score Goldschmidt with the equalizer.

At Tampa Bay, Houston’s Jose Altuve opened the scoring with a first-inning solo homer but Kiermaier’s blast in the second inning put the Rays ahead to stay.

“Running around the bases not feeling my feet hit the ground was a great feeling,” Kiermaier said.

“They have been hammering me with a bunch of off-speed. I got a change-up over the plate. It felt good. We need that. For us to go up two from there was huge. We’re better when we’re not playing from behind.”

Tampa Bay pitcher Charlie Morton, a 35-year-old American right-hander who played with Houston the past two seasons, struck out nine batters while issuing only three hits and two walks over five innings.

Morton improved to 4-0 in career playoff elimination games.

“Nothing ever bothers him. He’s so composed,” Kiermaier said.

The Dodgers, leading host Washington 2-1, will try to book a third consecutive trip to the National League Championship series while the Yankees will try to complete a sweep of host Minnesota to reach the American League Championship Series.