With Clayton Kershaw on the mound and Matt Kemp crushing homers, it was a good night for Dodger fans.
Kemp hit a three-run bomb in the first and Kershaw pitched six shutout innings for his 16th win, as the Dodgers unloaded on the Cardinals, 13-2. The win sets up a rare opportunity for a sweep on Wednesday.
One night after a ninth inning comeback, the Dodgers certainly had momentum on their side. They took full advantage of that in the first. Justin Sellers got the leadoff role and singled, followed by a walk from James Loney. Kemp then cracked a Kyle Lohse pitch into deep center for the 3-0 lead. With that, Kemp became the second player in Dodgers' history to join the 30-30 club. That's some great stuff.
As good as the first was, the second inning was even better. Jamey Carroll stepped in with one out and singled. Kershaw laid down a sacrifice as the Dodgers played for a run. With two outs, Sellers hit an RBI double, and it was 4-0. Loney continued it with an RBI single for the 5-0 edge. After Kemp doubled for two on, Juan Rivera cleared them both with a two-run single, and the Dodgers were up 7-0.
The Cardinals had to know that being down 3-0 against Kershaw was bad enough, but a seven-run hole was practically impossible. Kershaw made sure it stayed that way, as he got through the second. Rod Barajas then launched a solo shot in the third, making it 8-0.
Kershaw worked around some trouble in the fourth when Matt Holliday doubled, David Freese singled, and Yadier Molina walked to load the bases. Like a couple innings ago when runners were on, Kershaw struck out the next two to escape unharmed.
The lead got into double digits in the fifth. Andre Ethier walked with an out and Aaron Miles reached on Rafael Furcal's error. Just like Monday, I'd like to thank our old friend for the help. Barajas is on a hot streak, and he smashed a three-run homer to left, and it was 11-0. That's now four homers in his last four starts behind the plate. He's got that kind of power.
Blake Hawksworth took the ball from Kershaw in the seventh, and he got through the next two innings with ease. Tony LaRusa decided to give Skip Schumaker the chance to pitch the ninth, and Trent Oeltjen became a laughingstock by striking out! But, following a walk to Ethier, Miles hit a two-run shot, the Dodgers' fourth homer of the game.
The only trouble for the Dodgers came when the game was long since decided in the ninth. Hawksworth was still in, but quickly allowed the bases loaded with nobody out. Ryan Theriot got an RBI on a fielder's choice. Hong-Chih Kuo came in, and gave up an RBI single to John Jay. However, Raffy grounded into a double play to end it. Once again, thank you, Raffy.
The whole night was awesome, and Kershaw was again a huge part of it. He lasted six innings for six hits, no runs, two walks, and eight strikeouts. He threw 108 pitches, so it wasn't his most dominating performance, but he got tougher when runners reached base. That's now back-to-back 200 strikeout seasons for him... and he's only 23. Wow.
It's not often (or, ever) that I get to mention how many big hits the Dodgers had in one game. It all came together Tuesday, as they pounded out four homers and four doubles. Three hitters had three hits apiece: Sellers, Barajas, and Carroll. Kemp had two extra-base hits and three RBIs. It was one of those nights where they could do no wrong.
Win or lose on Wednesday, the Dodgers have still won the series in St. Louis. While the Cardinals have fallen on some hard times lately, they're still one of the best teams in the National League, so winning in their house is no easy feat. Earning a sweep, however, would close the roadtrip out at 5-5. Considering they were swept in three against the Brewers to start it off, that's pretty good.
Hiroki Kuroda has pitched at least six innings in his last seven starts, so he'll be looking to continue his strong play on Wednesday afternoon. Going against him is Jaime Garcia.
No comments:
Post a Comment