: LHP Matt Moore (3-4, 4.05) will face the Cardinals for the fir

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. Cheap Carl Yastrzemski Jersey . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Cheap Bobby Doerr Jersey . 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Cheap Ted Williams Jersey New Memphis coach Mike Norvell wants to build on the momentum established by his predecessor.Norvell begins his head coaching career this season by taking over for Justin Fuente, who turned around a traditionally losing program before Virginia Tech hired him away. Memphis has gone a combined 19-7 over the last two seasons.I was excited about the direction of where our program has been able to go -- and where I believe we can continue to help it grow in the future, Norvell said. Its been a great transition. The excitement about the things we have in place and the places that were going is pretty remarkable.The biggest challenge facing Norvell is making sure the offense continues moving the ball effectively without Paxton Lynch, the quarterback who teamed up with Fuente to orchestrate one of college footballs most dramatic turnarounds. Lynch left school after his junior season and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round.Taking over for Lynch is former Tennessee quarterback Riley Ferguson.Hes got a great skill set, Norvell said. Hes got a strong arm, can really drive the ball down the field but is extremely accurate.Norvell spent the last four years at Arizona State, where he worked as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He previously worked on Arizona State coach Todd Grahams staffs at Tulsa and Pittsburgh.But hes quite familiar with the Memphis area from his own playing days as a receiver at Central Arkansas. He believes Memphis has the elements in place to continue winning even in a new era that doesnt include Fuente or Lynch.Were excited about the things that are in place, Norvell said. We believe in the values of our program and what were going to accomplish. Now we just have to get out there and start getting it done.Here are some things to watch about Memphis.FERGUSONS SECOND CHANCE: Ferguson began his college career at Tennessee but never played a down for the Volunteers. After redshirting in 2013 and participating iin spring practice the following year, Ferguson transferred in the summer of 2014.dddddddddddd After spending the 2015 season at Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College, Ferguson is back in the state of Tennessee as Memphis starting quarterback.ANOTHER SEC EXPORT: Ferguson isnt the only former Southeastern Conference player set to make an impact for Memphis. Safety Jonathan Cook, who spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons at Alabama, should give the Tigers secondary a boost. Cook had 61 tackles last season at Garden City (Kansas) Community College.EXPERIENCED BLOCKERS: Memphis offensive line features four returning starters in tackles Gabe Kuhn and Trevon Tate, center Drew Kyser and guard Christopher Roberson. That group helped Memphis set school single-season records in total points (522) and yards (6,330) last year.SOLID SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Jake Elliott and punter Spencer Smith are both back after filling those roles last season. Elliott made all his extra-point attempts and went 23 of 28 on field goals last season and was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, given annually to the nations top kicker.RUNNING BACK CONCERNS: Although Doroland Dorceus is back after rushing for a team-high 659 yards last season, the transfers of Jarvis Cooper and Jamarius Henderson leave Memphis without much depth in the backfield. That could create an opportunity for freshman Darrell Henderson.PREDICTION: The losses of Fuente and Lynch make it natural to assume the Tigers take at least a small step backward. Memphis still features enough talent to produce a third straight winning season, but a 7-5 record plus a bowl invitation seems more likely than a repeat of the 10-3 campaign in 2014 or the 9-4 mark from last season.SEASON OPENER: The Tigers host Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 3.---College football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '