After having their road winning streak snapped on Tuesday by the Cards, the Dodgers needed to bounce back with a win on Wednesday to keep moving full-steam ahead. They did just that with a 13-4 victory over St. Louis.
The Cards' young right-hander Shelby Miller would have provided a strong outing most likely, but on the second pitch of the game he took a line drive off his elbow from Carl Crawford. The ball deflected off his arm and into the outfield in a violent manner, removing him from the game.
As much as you never like to see anyone get injured in this game, without Miller on the mound, things got a whole lot easier for the Dodgers.
The Cardinals were on their third pitcher by the second inning when the Dodgers scored six runs. It looked something like: single, single sac bunt, intentional walk, 2-RBI single, RBI single, walk, RBI out, 2-RBI single, strikeout.
That is a huge rally that has not been seen by this team for quite some time. The last time the Dodgers scored more than six runs in an entire game was back in Toronto on July 24.
The early lead gave Ricky Nolasco some breathing room, allowing him to give up seven hits and three runs, none earned, in five innings pitched with five strikeouts. Nolasco now has back-to-back wins with five innings pitched and three runs allowed, which must make Kershaw happy to watch considering he has been given three runs of support in his last three starts combined!
After the big second inning the Dodgers continued with one run in the fifth, two in the sixth and four in the ninth for a grand total of 13.
The offensive explosion came with 18 Dodger hits, every starter got at least one hit and scored at least one run. Carl Crawford went 4-5 with two runs scored, Yasiel Puig walked three times and scored twice, Andre Ethier wan 3-5 with four RBI and two runs scored, Tim Federowicz was 3-5, even Dee Gordon went 2-4 with an RBI.
Not to gripe about a 9-3 stretch, but in the 12 games from July 25 to Aug. 6, the Dodgers had only scored 32 runs, a number they matched in the three game series against Toronto, July 22 to 24.
On Thursday the Dodgers face St. Louis for the final time this series and this season. It will be the season rubber-match with Hyun-Jin Ryu on the mound against 21-year-old Carlos Martinez.
