SAN FRANCISCO -- Cardinals manager Mike Matheny refused to point to a pregame team meeting as being the inspiration for his ballclubs ninth-inning comeback.First baseman Matt Adams pointed out the playoff-type atmosphere of the game, while Stephen Piscotty noted his teams matter-of-fact approach.Whatever it was, St. Louis gave its postseason hopes a big boost.Kolten Wong hit a sacrifice fly that capped a two-run ninth inning and the Cardinals rallied for a key win in their playoff chase, beating the San Francisco Giants 3-2 Saturday night.The Cardinals further tightened the NL wild-card race -- the Giants and Mets are tied for the top two spots, with St. Louis trailing by two games.Just some great at-bats late, Matheny said. A lot of different guys jumped in and made it happen. We needed it.The Cardinals had lost three straight and held a team meeting prior to the game. No one was willing to talk about the theme of the meeting or what was said.This whole year weve fought back and this was a great example of that, Piscotty said. Even if we didnt (win) were still right in the thick of it. The fact that we did win is huge.Jedd Gyorko singled with one out in the ninth off Sergio Romo. Santiago Casilla (2-5) walked Yadier Molina before Randal Grichuk hit a tying single.Jose Martinez, pinch-running for Molina, took third on the hit and easily scored on Wongs fly.Seung Hwan Oh (5-3) retired six batters for the win.Brandon Moss hit his 27th homer for the Cardinals.Hunter Pence singled twice and Brandon Belt added an RBI double for the Giants, who fell five games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.Giving up the up the walk is what hurt, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Thats a tough one. We played well.Giants starter Jeff Samardzija allowed one run and five hits with four strikeouts and four walks over 6 2/3 innings.St. Louis starter Mike Leake, who pitched his first career shutout during his final start of 2015 while with the Giants, allowed two runs over six innings.DEFENSIVE GEMAdams might not be the most nimble of infielders but the Cardinals first baseman flexed his defensive skills in the second inning when he made a diving catch on Denard Spans liner, then quickly scrambled to the bag to double off Eduardo Nunez. Adams later left the game with a jammed left wrist. I felt it when I swung the next time up, Adams said.GOLD MEDAL MOMENTOlympic gold medal-winning gymnast Aly Raisman, competing in nearby San Jose as part of a champions tour, threw out the ceremonial first pitch after spending time with several members of the Giants before the game. Raisman -- who said she has only spent four days at home since returning from the Olympics -- took pictures with Angel Pagan, and got tips from pitcher Johnny Cueto and hitting coach Hensley Meulens while sporting a Giants jersey.I went to a lot of (Boston Red Sox) games with my dad growing up, Raisman said. Im excited to be here. It was crazy when I came here and players know who I am.TRAINERS ROOMCardinals: The team isnt sure what the next step will be for OF Matt Holliday after he called off plans to bat in a simulated game earlier in the day because of swelling in his right thumb. Holliday has been out since Aug. 12 and had hoped the sim game would provide momentum for returning.Giants: Bochy plans to give Buster Posey the day off Sunday in order to give the All-Star catcher a break before the team begins a seven-game road trip.UP NEXTAlex Reyes (1-2) starts for the Cardinals against Alberto Suarez (3-3) in the series finale. Nike Shoes Sale Australia . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Adidas NMD R1 Australia . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. http://www.salenikeshoesaustralia.com/asics-shoes-clearance.html .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Cheap Nike Air Max 95 Australia .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Air Max 270 Australia . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Ahead of Indias final against Belgium at the junior hockey World Cup in Lucknow on Sunday, ESPN introduces three players who seem to have done enough during the tournament to merit consideration for selection to the senior team. Across defence, midfield and attack, Varun Kumar, Santa Singh and Armaan Qureshi have formed the spine of the team. They spoke to us before the tournament and here is their journey in their own words.First influencesThere was nobody in my family who played hockey, but [India international and captain at the 2013 junior World Cup] Manpreet Singh and I are schoolmates. He began playing hockey before me and suggested I take up the sport. So, inspired by Manpreet, I began playing in Mithapur, my village. - VarunI started playing hockey because of the atmosphere in my village. [Indian midfielder] Sardar Singh also hails from there. One of my uncles was a very good hockey player and his son used to play hockey. He would often visit us, and one day I accompanied him to the ground and decided to start playing hockey. Ive always followed Sardar, and thats the reason I play in midfield. - SantaMy uncle Hasrat played for India, and he became my inspiration to start playing hockey. There used to be hockey camps in our school during summer vacations. Thats where I started playing for the first time. I also played cricket and pursued it quite seriously for a while. Then one day, they laid a new AstroTurf pitch in Gwalior, where I live. After that I started playing hockey quite seriously. - ArmaanBest coaching adviceWhen I started playing hockey, [former India captain] Pargat Singh gave me a lot of motivation. He would come to the ground and tell us about how to practise, what to eat. Whatever he learnt playing for India, he would pass on to the rest of us. - VarunThe coach at my hostel [former India international and Sardar Singhs older brother Didar Singh] used to support me a lot. He always told me that in modern hockey you must always look up while playing. Training under HHarendra Singh [head coach of the junior team] has also been good, because he varies it up all the time.dddddddddddd This prevents it from getting monotonous. - SantaI went to the Madhya Pradesh Academy in 2007, and my coach there was [former Olympian and Dhyan Chands son] Ashok Kumar. Then in 2013, I joined Air India, and my coach there was [former India captain] Dhanraj Pillay. Ive been fortunate with the coaching Ive had all these years. The one thing theyve all taught me is that you cannot give up. If you arent able to do something perfectly, then you must keep working at it till you achieve it. - ArmaanKey to success in hockeyThe most important attribute for a good defender is to have patience. You must know how to defend against an opposition forward and how to finish their moves. These qualities define a good defender. - VarunIt is tough to play against the Europeans. They tend to play with a lot of physicality. But our team now is very good. We tend to play with good fitness levels. Weve worked very hard on all major points. - SantaThere are parallels between football and hockey, especially in attacking patterns. The one-to-one passes and the attacks from the outside are more or less the same. I like [Lionel] Messi because of how he plays and the confidence with which he plays. On our first two tours, I wore jersey No. 29, but then when it was announced that everybody could put forward their favoured numbers, I went for No. 10. Hes not a player... hes a magician. - ArmaanUltimate goal in hockeyMy biggest ambition in life is to always give my best when playing and to play at the Olympics one day. - VarunThe junior World Cup is the main target for our entire group. Only after this can we think about what we want to achieve in life. The way that weve been performing at the junior level for the last couple of years, nothing less than gold will do. - Armaan ' ' '