SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The day Anibal Sanchez did not have his best command, he found a way to help the Atlanta Braves on their way to the playoffs.

Sanchez kept the Braves close with six great innings, Tyler Flowers shot in the ninth and the Braves moved closer to NL East with a 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

The Giants lost their 11th consecutive row, the worst since the team moved to San Francisco and the longest since 1951.

The Braves reduced their magic number to 11th place with their fifth consecutive win, their best run of the season, and clinched their first ever record since their last division crown in 2013 with 6½ games.

"We worked hard to get to this point," said Braves manager Brian Snitker. "We have gone through things to get to that position, we can turn to bigger things now."

Sanchez remains without a win in his last seven starts. He abandoned a race on six hits and five steps. He encouraged double-play throwers to escape situations at a base-laden base in the first and fourth.

"I did not have the same command I had before," said Sanchez. "The defense has helped me a lot and they have come out of this round."

The Giants scored only three points in the series. They were swept by the Braves in a series of three games or more for the first time since 2011.

"It's never fun, obviously, everyone comes here and puts the work to work, trying to do everything in their power to win ball games," said Brandon Belt, the Giants base. "These games matter to us."

Flowers beat a hard blow that scored Charlie Culberson's third goal with two outs in the ninth to give the Giants advantage. A re-examination confirmed that the first base's referee, Jeremie Rehak, had decided that Belt's foot was out of the bag when Flowers had reached the first place.

"I just did not receive this call was not reversed because of the brief glance I had," said Giants director Bruce Bochy. "This shows you how much is playing the field call."

Culberson scored the match against Will Smith (2-3). He came in second after Ender Inciarte's sacrifice and took third place on Dansby Swanson's floor.

Dan Winkler (3-0) shot a scoreless eighth and Jonny Venters finished ninth without fail for his second stop.

Derek Holland equaled Sanchez, giving a run in six innings of five shots. He took out seven and walked one. In its last six starts, Holland is 2-0 with an average of 1.59 and 34 strikeouts in 34 innings.

Evan Longoria put the Giants in the lead with a RBI single in the third. The Braves even tied for sixth place on Freddie Freeman's single.

SPIKED

Sanchez stayed in the game after Gregor Blanco put his foot on the heel when Sanchez covered the first for the first outing in the sixth.

"It scared me as soon as it happened, the pain … but I wanted to finish the round," Sanchez said.

disruptors

Asked about his team's potential role as spoiler, a term he has faced in the past, Bochy said: "I probably prefer the" disruptive "."

The Giants, who were eliminated four years after winning their third world title in five years, play nine of their remaining 15 games against competing teams.

"This is not an excellent position, but it is a motivation for players at this time of year when they do not participate," Bochy said.

TRAINER ROOM

Braves: Culberson was in Wednesday's starting lineup in third place in place of Johan Camargo, who left Tuesday's game with a contraction of the left groin.

Giants: Belt was back in alignment one day after being injured in the right knee, an injury that may require surgery out of season.

FOLLOWING

Braves: Kevin Gausman (9-10, 3.89 ERA) will start Friday at home against Washington. Gausman is 3-1 with an ERA of 4.34 in five career starts against the Nationals.

Giants: Chris Stratton (9-9, 4.99) of the RHP will present the first game of the series Friday at AT & T Park against the Colorado Rockies. The team's biggest pitcher is 1-2 with a 2.84 in four starts since his last Triple-A Sacramento call on August 21st.

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