Major League Baseball

Braves dampen Tigers' playoff hopes with 5-3 win

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:18 p.m. ET

foxsports

ATLANTA (AP) Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis homered, rookie Aaron Blair had a career-high 10 strikeouts and the last-place Atlanta Braves damaged the Detroit Tigers' playoff hopes with a 5-3 victory Saturday night.

Detroit, trying to return to the postseason for the second time in three years, began the day a half-game behind Toronto for the second AL wild card. The Blue Jays were still playing in Boston.

The Tigers will have ace Justin Verlander on the mound Sunday. Depending on the playoff scenario, Detroit's regular season might extend with a makeup home game Monday against Cleveland.

Atlanta took a 5-2 lead in the seventh on Adonis Garcia's two-run single, but reliever Mauricio Cabrera loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth. Chaz Roe struck out Miguel Cabrera and got J.D. Martinez to ground into a double play.