• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Greinke, Dodgers cruise past Cardinals

Jun 29, 2014 - 3:09 AM Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Zack Greinke pitched seven solid innings to help the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 9-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the third installment of a four-game set.

Greinke (10-4), who joined Cincinnati's Alfredo Simon and St. Louis' Adam Wainwright as the only pitchers in the National League with double-digit wins, allowed one run on four hits while striking out 10.

Dee Gordon went 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored, Yasiel Puig scored twice and Juan Uribe added two RBI in the win, LA's sixth in its last eight.

"It seemed like everything went our way today," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "We didn't expect a game like today against those guys."

St. Louis starter Lance Lynn (8-6) was tagged for seven runs -- six earned -- on nine hits over two innings of work.

"We saw some things that were uncharacteristic for Lynn," said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. "One was to go two innings and get hit like that. Monday is an off day and it couldn't come at a better time."

Lynn entered the game with a 1.40 ERA in winning his last four meetings against the Dodgers.

Infield singles from Puig and Hanley Ramirez put runners on first and second with one out in the first. Adrian Gonzalez then grounded into what could have been an inning-ending double play, but shortstop Daniel Descalso had trouble with the transfer and Puig raced home to score the game's first run.

Andre Ethier singled to lead off the second and Justin Turner followed with an opposite-field double into the right-field corner to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.

Miguel Rojas replaced Turner, who left the game with a strained left hamstring, and trotted home on A.J. Ellis' double to the base of the wall in right.

Ellis moved to third on a wild pitch from Lynn, then scored when Gordon poked a ground-rule double to right.

Later in the inning, Lynn uncorked another wild pitch, however, Yadier Molina got to the ball quickly and relayed back to Lynn covering the plate to get Gordon at home.

Gonzalez kept the rally going with an RBI single that scored Puig, and Matt Kemp drove in the fifth run of the inning with a looping single into center.

Ethier made his way back to the plate and blooped a double down the left-field line that was deflected by third baseman Matt Carpenter to push the margin to 7-0 after two.

"It was nice to get that big lead early," Greinke said. "My offspeed was sharp today and I was able to attack the zone. I knew I had room for error with a lead like that. You're a little more comfortable."

Carpenter got one back in the third with a two-out homer to right center that helped the Cardinals cut into the deficit.

That would be all for St. Louis, though, as Greinke allowed just two hits from there to keep St. Louis off the board.

Uribe ripped a two-run single into center in the eighth to account for the final margin.

Game Notes

Ramirez, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games, was replaced by Uribe after leaving the contest with an undisclosed injury. He had missed the previous four games with a right shoulder injury ... Dodgers starters have walked two or fewer batters in 32 straight games, the longest single-season stretch from an NL club since 1914 ... The Dodgers had 15 hits and finished 7- for-13 with runners in scoring position ... LA's Clayton Kershaw will oppose Shelby Miller in Sunday's finale.