Dodgers end 4-game skid, top Cards in 10
July 31, 2009
ST. LOUIS (AP)—For three games, the Los Angeles Dodgers piled up hits and hadnothing to show for it. To end a season-worst four-game losing streak, they madea few count.
Matt Kemp(notes) and Casey Blake(notes) combined for seven hits and Kemp’s two-run singlein the 10th was the difference in the Dodgers’ 5-3 victory over the St. LouisCardinals on Thursday night.
“We’ve been playing hard, we haven’t been driving in any runs,” Kemp said.“Our starting pitching has kept us in the ballgames and we’ve just got to getit done when we’ve got runners in scoring position.”
Blake had four hits and is 7 for 10 the last two games for Los Angeles,which avoided a four-game sweep and has not been swept all season. The Dodgerslead the NL in hitting and are second in scoring with an average of nearly fiveruns. They finally got rolling after totaling three runs on 33 hits the firstthree games.
“It was important to get yesterday’s game, so you can imagine what today’swas,” manager Joe Torre said. “To bounce back, it doesn’t surprise me.”
Series at a Glance LA Dodgers 1 St. Louis 6 Mon, Jul 27 – Final LA Dodgers 0 St. Louis 10 Tue, Jul 28 – Final LA Dodgers 2 St. Louis 3 Wed, Jul 29 – Final 15th LA Dodgers 5 St. Louis 3 Thu, Jul 30 – Final 10th
The Dodgers were 4 for 11 with runners in scoring position after going 4 for25 the first three games. James McDonald(notes) (3-2) worked a perfect ninth andJonathan Broxton(notes), one strike away from ending the Dodgers’ slump Wednesday,finished for his 24th save in 27 chances.
“We’re going to have some games where we give it up some,” Broxton said.“You’ve got to bounce back the next day and have fun.”
Albert Pujols(notes), who lined a game-winning single off Jeff Weaver(notes) in the 15thinning Wednesday night, tapped out to the mound for the final out. TheCardinals, who scored 19 runs the first three games, totaled only six hits.
“We made a fight out of it, but offensively we got shut down,” managerTony La Russa said. “They pitched us very well.”
Earlier in the day, the Dodgers added depth to their bullpen by acquiringformer All-Star closer George Sherrill(notes) from the Baltimore Orioles for twoDouble-A players.
Manny Ramirez(notes) was 3 for 18 in the series with no RBIs and he’s 4 for 26 inhis last six games with no RBIs. Boos rained down on him throughout the game,just as they did the first three games before the New York Times reportedThursday he had tested positive for steroids in 2003.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Matt … AP – Jul 31, 12:10 am EDT
Matt Holliday(notes) became the lone Cardinal to reach base safely two or moretimes in his first seven games, getting an RBI single and his first homer forhis new team in the first two at-bats. Holliday is batting .520 (13 for 25)since coming from the Athletics and is a career .396 hitter at 4-year-old BuschStadium with six homers and 10 RBIs.
Holliday is the first Cardinal since Bo Hart in 2003 to hit safely in hisfirst seven games.
Andre Ethier(notes) walked with one out against Dennys Reyes(notes) (0-2), Blake singledand the runners advanced on a wild pitch. With two outs, Kemp lined a single offTodd Wellemeyer(notes), moved to the bullpen after his last start and making only hissecond relief appearance of the season.
Consecutive intentional walks to Pujols and Holliday helped the Dodgersescape trouble in the eighth. The Cardinals left the bases loaded when Hong-ChiKuo struck out Rick Ankiel(notes) on three pitches.
Four straight Dodgers reached against Kyle McClellan(notes) with one out in theseventh. Pinch-hitter Juan Pierre(notes) had an infield hit and scored from first onRafael Furcal’s(notes) two-run double that put Los Angeles ahead 3-2.
Ankiel homered leading off the eighth, ending Guillermo Mota’s(notes) scorelessstreak at 20 1-3 innings and tying it at 3.
Both starters were pulled after six innings. Kyle Lohse(notes) allowed a run onfive hits in the best of four starts since missing a month with a forearm injuryfor St. Louis, departing with a one-run lead, while Hiroki Kuroda(notes) gave up tworuns on four hits for the Dodgers.
NOTES: Cardinals SS Brendan Ryan(notes) bruised his left ankle on a foul ball inthe second and was replaced by Julio Lugo(notes). X-rays were negative but he leftBusch Stadium on crutches. “It was kind of scary there for a second,” Ryansaid. “I’m glad to hear that nothing’s broken or anything like that.” …TheCardinals plan to recall RHP Mitchell Boggs(notes) from Triple-A Memphis Friday tostart the opener of a three-game series with Houston. Boggs replaces Wellemeyer.
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