Cardinals at Dodgers
Yasiel Puig returned from a long stint on the disabled list to remind the Los Angeles Dodgers of what they have been missing without his bat in the lineup. After getting a clutch hit from their enigmatic right fielder to snap a three-game losing streak Saturday, the host Dodgers eye a series split Sunday when they wrap up their four-game set with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Clayton Kershaw and Jaime Garcia each blanked the opposition through six
innings Saturday before Puig, who missed the previous 39 games because of a left hamstring strain, broke the tie in the seventh
with an RBI double en route to a 2-0 victory. Although the National
League West-leading Dodgers went 21-18 in Puig’s absence, they have
scored two or fewer runs in 13 of their last 21 contests. St. Louis, which took two of three at
home from Los Angeles last weekend, got a taste of its own medicine Saturday as Kershaw and Kenley Jansen combined on a one-hit shutout
after the Cardinals had limited the Dodgers to one run or fewer in four
of their previous five meetings. Another pitchers’ duel could be in
store for the finale as St. Louis’ Lance Lynn (15th) and the Los
Angeles’ Zack Greinke (fourth) rank among the NL leaders in ERA.
TV: 8:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Lance Lynn (4-4, 3.03 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Zack Greinke (5-1, 1.97)
Lynn
turned in one of his finest outings of the season Tuesday, yielding
only five singles and a walk over 7 2/3 innings to get the decision in a
1-0 victory versus Milwaukee. The 28-year-old Indiana native has
allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of his 11 outings, but struck
out five or fewer in his last three turns after fanning at least six in
each of his previous seven tries. Lynn is 3-1 with a 4.50 ERA in five
starts versus Los Angeles, but has allowed the current group of Dodgers
to bat .303 against him.
Greinke gave up more than three runs for
the first time in 13 regular-season outings since last September on
Tuesday, surrendering five runs on a season-high 10 hits in a
no-decision at Colorado. The 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner
has been incredible at Dodger Stadium over his career, however, going
21-5 with a 2.29 ERA in 37 turns. Greinke has enjoyed similar success in
14 appearances (12 starts) versus the Cardinals, going 9-4 with a 3.17
ERA.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Dodgers not only avoided their first
four-game losing streak since Sept. 13-16, 2013 on Saturday, but also
maintained their all-time series lead against the Cardinals
(1,018-1,016).
2. Cardinals 3B Matt Carpenter (right tricep
contusion) is day-to-day after he was hit by a Kershaw pitch in the
first inning of Saturday’s game.
3. St. Louis has surrendered a total of 10 runs over the last seven contests.