Victor Martinez’s playing career will come to an end on Saturday when the Detroit Tigers face the Kansas City Royals.He will be honored in a pregame ceremony at Comerica Park and serve as the designated hitter. He will not play the remainder of the season.Martinez Buster Posey Jersey , 39, has been in the majors since 2002. He is a career .295 hitter and has hit 246 home runs. He’s been with the Tigers organization since 2011, though he missed the 2012 season with a knee injury.Article continues below ...“I think that’s just me thanking the Detroit Tigers fans and everybody here,” he told the Detroit News. “To play the last game of my career here, it’s just one of the ways to thank everybody. I think that would be fair for everybody.”Manager Ron Gardenhire believes it’s a fitting way for Martinez to head into retirement.“He’s just a special guy who has had a great career,” Gardenhire said. “Not just a good career, a great career. I’ve watched him from both sides, from the visitors’ dugout and from the home dugout. I’m pretty lucky.”Martinez will be facing a pitcher who has become a Tigers’ nemesis, Jakob Junis.The Royals right-hander has recorded half of his eight victories against his team’s American League Central Division rival. Junis has posting a 1.74 ERA while striking out 25 batters in 31 innings in those four starts. He’s held Tigers batters to a .193 average.Subtract those performances and Junis is 4-12 with a 5.04 ERA in his other starts. He’ll try to torment the Tigers once again in the third game of the four-game series.In his last start against them on Aug. 28, Junis collected the first complete-game victory of his career. He struck out seven and didn’t issue a walk in the 6-2 triumph.Junis (8-12, 4.42 ERA) had his shortest outing of the season on Sunday, giving up four runs on eight hits in three innings against Minnesota.“I had been keeping the ball down and staying ahead of hitters,” Junis told MLB.com afterward. “(Sunday) http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-panik-jersey , I was behind hitters and not keeping the ball down. Wasn’t in the zone consistently.”The Tigers haven’t seen that side of him. He’s 6-1 with a 3.14 ERA in seven career starts. Junis doesn’t have more than two victories against any other team.Detroit’s top hitter this season, right fielder Nicholas Castellanos, has gone hitless in 14 career at-bats facing Junis.The Tigers will counter with veteran right-hander Jordan Zimmermann (7-8, 4.41 ERA). He, too, struggled in his last outing on Monday. Zimmermann surrendered five runs in seven hits in 3 2/3 innings against Minnesota. He’s been tagged for seven homers in his last four outings.“He was really upset,” Gardenhire said afterward. “Just trying to figure out what was going on. Part of it is we haven’t been scoring runs. He’s healthy and he’s been throwing the ball well. He’s given us a chance most night. Just the last couple have been rough.”Zimmermann has traditionally pitched well against the Royals. In eight career appearances, he’s 4-1 with a 2.08 ERA.The teams have split the first two games of the series. PHOENIX (AP) — The way things have been going for the Arizona Diamondbacks, being 1 1/2 games out of first place in the NL West seems almost unimaginable.Yet that’s where Arizona stands after a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night. Star slugger Paul Goldschmidt hit his 33rd home run and the Diamondbacks held off the NL East leaders in a matchup of slumping playoff contenders.The Braves lost for the fourth time in five games and had their edge over Philadelphia cut to 2 1/2 games.The Diamondbacks, who had lost five of six, moved within 1 1/2 games of Colorado atop the NL West.“We’ve lost a lot of tough games like these, and it’s just nice to see us come out on the other side of it,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Nice to see these guys smile Willie McCovey Jersey , nice to see these guys have some fun, nice to have that good feeling after playing a game.”Johan Camargo homered, doubled twice and drove in two runs for Atlanta. Diamondbacks left fielder David Peralta made a sliding catch on Camargo’s shallow fly ball for the final out, emphatically pumping his fist to celebrate.Goldschmidt homered for the ninth time in 27 games, sending an opposite-field drive to right for a solo shot in the first. He reached base in all five of his plate appearances, going 2 for 2 with three walks.Daniel Descalso’s two-run single highlighted a three-run third inning that put Arizona ahead 4-1.Patrick Corbin (11-5) gave up one run and four hits in six innings, striking out nine. Brad Boxberger got two outs for his 32nd save.“All these games are important. They’re all going to be a battle,” Corbin said. “You just have to make quality pitches.”Braves starter Kevin Gausman (9-10) lasted 4 2/3 innings. He was charged with four runs and seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts.“I was making some pretty bad misses trying to go away and missing in on a guy,” Gausman said. “I didn’t throw enough offspeed pitches for strikes.”Camargo made it 1-all with his 17th homer and second in two days, connecting in the third.“A highlight reel,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Camargo. “Kid’s playing unbelievable. Just really maturing, growing. He’s come so far and he’s showing us he’s a legitimate guy.”Peralta hit an RBI single in the third as Arizona strung together three straight singles to take a 2-1 lead. After a walk to A.J. Pollock, Descalso bounced a hit through the right side to drive in two more runs.The Braves battled back in the eighth against reliever Archie Bradley http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-mel-ott-jersey , who gave up an RBI double to Camargo and consecutive infield hits to Nick Markakis and Tyler Flowers to load the bases with one out.Brad Ziegler relieved, and an error by shortstop Nick Amhed gave Atlanta another run that made it 4-3.Bradley was visibly unhappy in the dugout after another bumpy outing. He’s had several over the past week.“When you’re going through a little bit of a rough patch, it seems like the ball doesn’t bounce your way,” Bradley said. “But I made good pitches, they just beat me.”Ziegler protected the lead, striking out Adam Duvall and getting Dansby Swanson to fly out with the bases loaded.“There’s no lead that’s safe with them,” Ziegler said of the Braves.Eduardo Escobar’s sacrifice fly gave the Diamondbacks an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth.END(ER) OF THEIR NIGHTSBraves OF Ender Inciarte, apparently unhappy with the strike zone, was ejected after striking out swinging at a pitch in the dirt to end the top of the fourth. He said something to home plate umpire Doug Eddings and was tossed, then proceeded to kick at the dirt and shout some more in Eddings’ face before going back to the dugout.“Sometimes guys get frustrated and voice opinions on things. It happens,” Snitker said.Eddings also ejected Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer in the eighth when he yelled from the dugout after Duvall was called out on strikes.UP NEXTBraves: RHP Julio Teheran (9-7) makes his team-high 28th start on Saturday against Arizona. The Braves are 16-11 in his starts this season.Diamondbacks: Saturday’s scheduled starter RHP Clay Buchholz (7-2) has a 0.64 earned run average in his last four starts, but carries a 6.06 ERA in three starts against Atlanta in his career.