Where has this been all season?
The Dodgers took full advantage of a six-run third by gliding their way past the Cardinals, 9-4. The win also means a three-game sweep in St. Louis, the first road sweep of the season.
Cardinal fans probably forgot about this, but they were actually winning this game at one point. It occurred in the second off of Hiroki Kuroda. Matt Holliday singled and took second on a wild pitch. He then went to third on a groundout and scored on an RBI single by Skip Schumaker, making it 1-0.
That lead was short-lived, as the Dodgers jumped all over Jaime Garcia in the third. It all started on a walk to leadoff hitter Justin Sellers. Tony Gwynn also took a walk, and both advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch. Next came six straight hits in which the Dodgers took full control of the game.
Matt Kemp continued his MVP-like season with a two-run single, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. Juan Rivera hit an RBI double next. Casey Blake got a run home with a single, and went to second on an error in center by John Jay. The lead then became 5-1 on an RBI ground rule double from James Loney. After a single by Jamey Carroll, then newly called up A.J. Ellis added an RBI single to close the scoring at 6-1.
The Cardinals were obviously reeling, as they couldn't get much of anything going from there on out. They got a couple straight singles Lance Berkman and Schumaker in the fourth, but Gerald Laird grounded into a double play to end it.
Ellis continued his big day by adding a solo homer with two outs in the fifth. Not only was it the first of the season, but it was his first career homer. His reward? The silent treatment from the boys in the dugout. Very nice.
The following inning, the Dodgers increased their lead once again. Kemp singled with two outs and Rivera stepped in and cracked a two-run shot to make it 9-1. That just added to his effectiveness since coming over to LA, as he's hitting .322 in 34 games. I certainly didn't expect that.
The rest of the way was just about getting the game over with without much harm. Kuroda did surrender a two-run homer to Laird in the seventh to make it 9-3. Aaron Craig added an RBI ground rule double in the ninth off of Matt Guerrier, but Jay flew out to Gwynn to end the game.
Even though the Cardinals have been playing poorly lately, this is still one of the best series the Dodgers have played all year. Truth be told, the best the Dodgers have done in any series is probably the very first one in which they took three of four from the Giants way back in April. Winning in St. Louis is always tough, and for the Dodgers to win three on a ninth inning comeback and two blowouts, they deserve plenty of kudos.
Kuroda got his 10th win by lasting seven innings for eight hits, three runs, one walk, and four strikeouts. Once he had the big lead, he did a great job in letting his defense go to work, as evidenced by the one walk. He's now won three straight decisions and four of his last five. It's good to see his offense give him more support as well.
With Dee Gordon on his way back soon, it will be interesting to see what happens with Sellers. Maybe he stays up and gets some time at second; maybe he goes back down to play what little is left of the minor league season. However, the logical move would be to can Eugenio Valez, who's doing historically bad. He's now 0-for-27 with the Dodgers this year and has only taken two walks.
Regardless if Gordon comes back or not, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Valez should be gone. It's to the point where I just flat out feel sorry for the guy. He looks so lost at the plate it's just uncomfortable watching. Please, really, just put him out of his misery.
Another team who's been hot lately is the Rockies, who just swept the Astros after taking two of three from the Dodgers. Overall, they've won five straight along with six of their last seven, seven of their last nine, and eight of their last 11. Got all of that? I suppose they still have playoff hopes, but they're slim.
The Dodgers will welcome those Rockies to town for three starting Friday. Ted Lilly takes the mound in the first game. He hasn't won since July 29, but he actually has been pitching well lately. Let's see if that continues.
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