Live Blogging with Community Editor Eddie Rivera | Dodgers Beat the Cardinals, 8-4

Before tonight’s game, Dodger Manager Dave Roberts said that the Dodgers would have to do everything well to beat St. Louis, because that’s what St. Louis does. Guess what?

Behind strong starting pitching, strong hitting, and strong relief pitching, the Dodgers beat the Cards behind the pitching of Ross Stripling, who earned his first victory off his former college teammate at Texas A& M, along with his first major league hit.  The Dodgers are now 3-2 on this home stand, and stopped the Card’s three-game win streak.

A number of Dodgers improved their numbers tonight, with Yasiel Puig going 3 for 5, and hitting his sixth home of the season, dropping one into the right field corner. Howie Kendrick was 2 for 5 in the leadoff position scoring two runs, and batting another in.

“It easy to be aggressive when the pitches are there,” said Roberts, quietly confident in his batters, as well as his relievers, who had been uneven, to say the least, of late.  The bullpen allowed just one hit in four innings with only two batters reaching base.

The Dodger cause was also helped by Aledmys Diaz, and Matt Carpenter, who combined efforts for four errors in the game.

The Dodgers will face the Cardinals again tomorrow night at Dodger Stadium.

 

The Dodgers continue their nine-game homestand (2-2) tonight, beginning a three-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals, following last night’s 5-0 shutout victory over the New York Mets. After the weekend series with the Cards, the Dodgers play a home-and-home against the Angels, with games at Dodger Stadium Monday and Tuesday, before heading down the road for Wednesday and Thursday night contests in Anaheim.

The Dodgers were 2-5 against the Cardinals last season and St. Louis took three of four from Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium. Tonight marks the Dodgers first game of 2016 against the National League Central, a division they went 17-17 (9-8 at home) when facing in 2015.

Los Doyers improved to 7-10 at home with last night’s victory, and its five runs scored were the most at home since plating seven against the Giants on April 15. The Dodgers are averaging just 2.82 runs per game at Dodger Stadium this year – the second-lowest home mark in the Majors, ahead of only Philadelphia (2.62) – compared with 5.44 runs per game (4th, MLB) on the road.

Here we go…

FIRST INNING

Top

Matt Carpenter walks boldly to first base.

Stephen Piscotty (No relation) flies out deep, really deep to center.

Matt Holiday singles, sending Piscotty to third.

Piscotty scores as Holiday is shot down at  second, but Matt Adams gets to second.

Yadier Molina singles sharply (ow!) to right. Adams gets to third.

Molina is forced out at second, and the Cardinals show off quite a few weapons, as they say.

Cardinals 1, Dodgers coming up.

BOTTOM

Howie Kendrick is robbed of a home run beautifully in broad daylight by centerfielder Randal Grichuk. (Kendrick says the “F” word.) Dodgers go 1-2-3.

Cardinals 1, Dodgers 0.

 SECOND INNING

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Grichuk singles.

Kolten Wong triples deep to center field. Then he gets caught in an embarrassing rundown. Grichuk subleases third base.

Matt Carpenter goes t0 2-0, make that 3-0. A strike sneaks in there. Carpenter draws a walk. With his feet. (See what I did there?)

Piscotty grounds out to first.

Cardinals 1, Dodgers 0.

Bottom

Adrian Gonzales reaches first on a bobble. So to speak.

Yasiel Puig gets to first when Wacha bobbles his dink to the mound. (Say that three times fast.)

Joc Pederson draws a walk, so he walks to first.

The bases be loaded. Trayce Thompson at bat. He gets to 1-1….then 2-2, then he drives in two runs with a bang to short right field. Pitcher Wacha says the “GD” word.

AJ Ellis flies out to second, and then Pederson gets caught off second. Like, “Wut ‘appen….?”

Stripling singles to first, his first major league hit.

Howie Kendrick singles. Thompson comes home.

Corey Seager is at 1-2, then strikes out, before gazing up to admire the night sky.

Dodgers 2, Cardinals 1.

THIRD INNING

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Matt Adams is so out.

Matt Holliday is thrown out at first, if you’ll pardon the expression.

Yadier Molina singles.

Randal Grichuk flies out.

Dodgers 3, Cardinals 1.

Bottom

Justin Turner is way out at first, thanks to some fine fielding by Kolten Wong.

Adrian Gonzales swings big. It’s 0-1, 1-1, 1-2, and then he doubles to the left field corner.

Puig grounds out to first, leaving Gonzales still percolating at second.

Pederson doubles off the center field wall, scoring Gonzales.

Trayce Thompson gets to a count that is almost full, …thinks he’s drawn a walk, and then he does.

AJ “Way to watch ’em!” Ellis gets to 2-0 right now, then hangs out there for a bit….then flies out to short center field.

Dodgers 4, Cardinals 1.

FOURTH INNING

Wong now batting. (Oh, I HOPE he hits one to right.) No such luck. He grounds out to first.

Aledmys Diaz (No relation) homers to center on a full count. It’s his sixth one of those things.

Wacha grounds out to first.

Matt Carpenter strikes out, wearing a beard.

Dodgers 4, Cardinals 2.

BOTTOM

Ross Stripling takes his second trip to first when Diaz can’t make the play, juggling all and whatnot…

Corey Seager flies out, but moves Stripling to third.

An errant throw pulls Diaz off the bag, and everyone is safe. Turner is at first, Kendrick is at second, and Stripling has come home to the bosom of the dugout.

Gonzales files out to center, and moves Kendrick to third.

Puig singles past third base, and Kendrick scores, per se.

Joc Pederson is at a count that is full….He walks and the bases are way loaded.

Trayce Thompson is out, and the inning is over.

Dodgers 6, Cardinals 2.

FIFTH INNING

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Piscotty walks to first.

Matt Holliday is at 1-2, …then singles past a slipping Corey Seager, and Piscotty goes to third.

Matt Adams  is at bat. Stripling tosses a wild pitch, and someone, whose name escapes me, sneaks over to second. Holliday strikes out.

Molina is at 1-1, then flies out.

Grichuk is out at third.

Dodgers 6, Cardinals 2.

Matt Bowman now pitching for the team in red and grey.

A.J. Ellis singles to short center field.

Stripling strikes out.

Kendrick singles to first. Ellis gets caught at second.

Seager is at 2-0, then 2-2,…then singles past second base. Kendrick visits second base. Seems to like it there.

Turner bangs one off the shoe of Diaz at second, and Kendrick flies home.

Gonzales strikes out.

Dodgers 7, Cardinals 3.

SIXTH INNING

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Wong goes deep to right for a triple!  (That’s a Wong and a right. Sorry.)

Diaz (Wong dashes home on a wild pitch)…is at 2-2, and then doubles. There is a chat show at the mound. Stripling’s show gets cancelled for tonight.

Jedd Gyorko (No relation) now batting. Now pitching for the Doyers is Adam Liberatore. Gyorko is out at first.

Carpenter flies out to left.

Louis Coleman in to pitch for the Dodgers.

Piscotty is aghast as he strikes out.

Dodgers 7, Cardinals 4.

Bottom

Puig homers deep to the right field corner on the first pitch he sees.

Pederson strikes out.

Thompson strikes out, and not in a good way.

AJ Ellis grounds out to first.

Dodgers 8, Cardinals 4.

TOP

Pederson robs Holliday of a deep shot to center field.

Pedro Baez now pitching for Los Doyers.

Kike “Kike!” Hernandez now playing center field.

Matt Adams flies out to left.

Yadier Molina is at 1-2, with 2 down. 2-2-2. And then, he like, totally, strikes out.

Dodgers 8, Cardinals 4.

BOTTOM

Kike “Kike!” Hernandez gets run down at first.

Kendrick grounds out to first, as well, also.

Seager strikes out.

Dodgers 8, Cardinals 4.

EIGHTH INNING
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Grichuk strikes completely out.

Wong hears some chin music. 1-0. 2-0, 3-0, …3-1, 3-2, then he grounds out to first.

Diaz is at 0-2, then flies out to Turner.

Dodgers 8, Cardinals 4.

Bottom

Jonathan Broxton now pitching for Los Cardinales.

Turner strikes out.

Aqui esta Adrian Gonzales. The count is full. He grounds out to first.

Puig, who homered in the bottom of the sixth, goes to 1-1…then is pretty much out, in my opinion.

NINTH INNING

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Joe Blanton now pitching for Los Doyers.

Brandon Moss flies out to left field.

Matt Carpenter is quickly at 1-2, then at 2-2 for quite some time, and now the count is full. And then he jogs all nonchalant to first.

Piscotty (Still no relation) is at 0-1, singles to the corner in right. Carpenter scampers to third. Time for a chat show. And here comes Kenley Jansen.

1 down, runners on first and third. Matt Holliday at the plate. He hits into a double play. Dodgers win.

Dodgers 8, Cardinals 4-FINAL