Ivan Herrera ignited a four-run fifth inning with a two-run homer, four St. Louis relievers combined for four innings of shutout ball and the visiting Cardinals kept their flickering playoff hopes alive with a 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night.

A second straight win by the Cardinals (77-80) and the eighth loss in 10 games by the Giants (77-80) left the teams tied in the National League wild-card race. They each trail the Cincinnati Reds (80-76) and New York Mets (80-76) by 3 1/2 games and the Arizona Diamondbacks (79-76) by 2 1/2 games for the final NL playoff spot.

Both San Francisco and St. Louis have just five games remaining.

Heliot Ramos homered on Michael McGreevy's third pitch of the game to help jump-start the Giants to a 4-2 lead through four innings. Ra

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