Final
Cards go for fifth straight win at Chavez Ravine
Apr 17, 2011 - 2:43 PM (Sports Network) - The St. Louis Cardinals take aim at their fifth straight win and will try to complete their first four-game sweep in Los Angeles in nearly 43 years this afternoon when they wrap up their set at Dodger Stadium.St. Louis' bats continued to do damage on Saturday, as Allen Craig went 3- for-4 with a three-run homer in a 13-hit attack for the Cardinals in the 9-2 win. Ryan Theriot had three hits and an RBI for St. Louis, which has won six of its last seven games.
With another victory this afternoon they will complete their first four-game sweep at Dodger Stadium since July 1-4, 1968.
Kyle McClellan (2-0) pitched seven strong innings, allowing six hits and a run. Miguel Batista and Eduardo Sanchez finished up the rest of the way.
"Today is the best I've felt all season. When nobody's on I'm going to be aggressive," McClellan said. "Tonight I felt I had the ability to pitch out of jams."
St. Louis has outscored the Dodgers, 29-9 so far in this series. The Cards also fell one hit short on Saturday of matching a team record set in 1930 of getting at least 14 hits in six straight games.
Clayton Kershaw (2-2) was charged with six hits, five walks and five runs over 4 2/3 innings.
"It was one of those nights, they're swinging the bats well and fouled off a lot of pitches," Kershaw said. "I walked some guys and that home run did us in."
Andre Ethier had three hits and scored once for the Dodgers, who have dropped five in a row. They went 1-for-14 with men in scoring position and are 6- for-33 in this series.
Hoping for similar run support today from the Cards will be right-hander Chris Carpenter, who is still searching for his first win of the 2011 season. Carpenter fell to 0-2 on the year on Tuesday in Arizona, as the Diamondbacks pounded him for eight runs in just four innings.
"It?s just one of those nights. I don't really have a lot to say," Carpenter said. "I made good pitches, I made bad pitches. No matter what I threw in there, they hit it. I'm not going to concern myself a whole lot with it. Get ready to go on Sunday."
The former NL Cy Young Award winner may get off the schneid today, though, as he is 6-0 lifetime versus the Dodgers with a 1.77 ERA in eight starts.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, will counter with right-hander Chad Billingsley, who is 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA. After splitting his first two starts Billingsley did not get a decision on Tuesday in San Francisco, as the Giants reached him for four runs in five innings of a 5-4 loss. He has surrendered 12 runs in 14 innings this season.
Billingsley is 1-3 in seven games (six starts) against the Cardinals with a 5.79 ERA in those contests.
St. Louis was 4-3 against the Dodgers last season, with both teams sweeping sets in their home ballparks.
- ST. LOUIS: 1
LOS ANGELES: 2
Final
Apr 17 6:43 PM - Matt Kemp none-out, two-run Home Run (3) to center scored Andre Ethier to end the game.
Cardinals 1, Dodgers 2 Bot 9, 0 OutsApr 17 6:43 PM - David Freese single to right scored Matt Holliday with two outs. Runners on first and second and Yadier Molina due up.
Cardinals 1, Dodgers 0 Top 9, 2 OutsApr 17 6:33 PM - ST. LOUIS: 0
LOS ANGELES: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Apr 17 4:10 PM
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