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Giants add left-hander Zerbe for NLCS

ST. LOUIS (AP) The San Francisco Giants added left-handed pitcher Chad Zerbe to their roster for the NL championship series Wednesday, dropping right-handed reliever Manny Aybar.

Giants manager Dusty Baker said Zerbe was chosen because the St. Louis Cardinals have more left-handed hitters in their lineup than the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco's first-round opponent.

It was the lone change made by the Giants for their first NLCS since 1989.

Zerbe was 2-0 with a 3.04 ERA in 50 relief appearances this season as the primary lefty out of the bullpen. He spent almost the entire season with San Francisco after being called up from Triple-A Fresno on April 20.

Aybar, a journeyman reliever with no postseason experience until last week, allowed Atlanta to score five runs on two pitches in the sixth inning of the Braves' 10-2 victory in Game 3 of the NL division series Saturday.

But Baker said the decision to keep him off the NLCS roster was not based on that performance.

``We thought we needed another left-hander,'' he said.

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