SAN FRANCISCO — Right-hander Jack Flaherty returns to the scene of his major league debut last September when he closes out a four-game series for the St. Louis Cardinals against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday afternoon.

Flaherty (3-4 Authentic Sidney Crosby Jersey , 3.19 ERA) will attempt not only to give the Cardinals a 3-1 win in the four-game series but to reward manager Mike Matheny with his fifth series win in seven return visits to San Francisco, where he played the final two years of his career.

Matheny has never lost a series as a manager in San Francisco, winning four and tying the other two. He is assured of at least a tie in this one as well, with the Cardinals having posted 11-2 and 3-2 wins sandwiching a 3-2 loss on Friday night.

Flaherty was just 21 years old when he debuted for the Cardinals last Sept. 1 in an 11-6 win in San Francisco.

He did not get credit for the win, going only four innings, during which he was roughed up for five runs and eight hits. He’s thus 0-0 with an 11.25 ERA against the Giants.

Brandon Crawford doubled and homered against Flaherty, and Hunter Pence lashed a two-run triple.

The California native will be seeking to snap a two-game losing streak. He has allowed eight runs and 10 hits in 10 innings in losses to Cleveland and Arizona.

Flaherty will be backed by a Cardinals defense that has been superb against the Giants, having committed just one error in the three games. That lone miscue was an errant throw by backup catcher Francisco Pena on a steal attempt.

“That’s kind of the initiative we have going on right now: bolstering our defense,” Matheny noted Saturday. “Let’s play a cleaner defensive game. And then hope that we get contributions offensively. Let’s figure out ways to make sure we’re catching the ball to help reinforce the great starts that we’ve been getting.”

Luke Weaver, John Gant and Carlos Martinez have provided that pitching in San Francisco. The Giants have totaled just seven runs in the series, extending to six games their streak of scoring three or fewer.

Martinez even contributed an RBI double to Saturday’s win.

The Giants have hit a cumulative .167 in their last six games, five of which they’ve lost.

San Francisco will be counting on ace Madison Bumgarner (1-3, 2.58) to contribute both on the mound and at the plate in the series finale.

The Giants have supported their pitching leader with just 14 runs in his six starts. He hasn’t helped his own cause; the slugger with 17 career homers has gone 0-for-14 so far this season.

The left-hander has pitched brilliantly in his last three starts Authentic Joe Thornton Jersey , allowing just three runs (two of which were earned) and 12 hits in 21 innings.

Bumgarner often has not been at his best against the Cardinals in his career, going 3-5 with a 4.38 ERA in eight starts. He hasn’t beaten St. Louis since 2014.

One player who has never figured out Bumgarner is Kolten Wong, who has been the big hitter in the series with six hits, including a double and a triple, and two RBIs.

He’s 0-for-9 with two strikeouts in his career against Bumgarner.

TORONTO — Atlanta Braves first-year general manager Alex Anthopoulos was not sure how well his new team would do this season.

“You know what, we didn’t know what to expect,” the former Toronto Blue Jays GM said before the opener of a two-game series at the Rogers Centre on Tuesday night.

He has a better idea now and so do the fans of the Blue Jays as they watched the Braves defeat their team 11-4 Tuesday and show why they are in first place in the National League East.

The short interleague set will end Wednesday afternoon with Atlanta starting right-hander Anibal Sanchez (3-0, 1.93 ERA) against Toronto left-hander J.A. Happ (8-3, 3.48).

“We knew there was a lot of talent here,” said Anthopoulos, who was the GM in Toronto from 2009-2015 before working for the Los Angeles Dodgers and then taking the job at Atlanta this past offseason. “There’s a ton of talent here. Those guys (the previous general managers in Atlanta) deserve all the credit.”

Anthopoulos said part of the plan was to see just how far players like of Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis could take this club.

“The plan was just to sit back and let these guys play,” Anthopoulos said. “Maybe add some things, bring some information. We had a game plan in the offseason on what we could be doing from a developmental standpoint Authentic Logan Couture Jersey , how we could potentially make guys better with information that we might provide to them, to the staff, to try to get the most out of their abilities.”

So far it has worked well with Atlanta improving its record to 43-29 while Toronto scuffles in the American League East at 33-39.

Sanchez will be making his eighth appearance of the season, and his seventh start, in the series finale. Last season, while with the Tigers, he was 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA in two starts against the Blue Jays. He is 3-4 with a 5.70 ERA in 12 career appearances (10 starts) against the Blue Jays. His last win against them was July 3, 2015, at Detroit, when he allowed four runs, three hits and three walks in 7 1/3 innings in the Tigers’ 8-6 victory.

Happ is 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in eight career games, including seven starts, against Atlanta.

In June Authentic Brent Burns Jersey , he is 1-0 with a 2.12 ERA in three starts, which is not hurting his trade value as the July 31 deadline approaches. He is considered one of the better candidates among the Blue Jays to be traded, especially since he can be a free agent in the offseason.

Happ did not factor into the decision in his most recent start, June 13 at Tropicana Field, when the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Blue Jays 1-0.

He threw five scoreless innings, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out three.

“I do feel good out there for sure,” Happ said. “I feel confident, and that’s always a huge thing. I’ll try to keep it rolling, and we’ll try to bounce back.”

The loss on Tuesday ended Toronto’s seven-game winning streak at home. They are 6-3 in interleague games.

The Braves have won three games in a row and six of their past seven as they move to a season-high 14 games over .500. They are 22-16 on the road.

Before the series opener, the Blue Jays put right-handed pitcher Sam Gaviglio on paternity leave — his wife gave birth to a daughter Tuesday — and recalled infielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from Triple-A Buffalo. Gurriel did not play on Tuesday.