ST. LOUIS — The Los Angeles Dodgers finally wore down Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright, forcing his exit after a whopping 114 pitches in the sixth inning on a hot St. Louis night Wednesday at Busch Stadium.
By the time the Dodgers, who have the National League’s best record, accomplished this, soon-to-be-41-year-old Wainwright had stopped them for the first five innings and the Cardinals had jumped all over Los Angeles ace Tony Gonsolin — who had been 11-0 with a 1.62 earned-run average before his first appearance at Busch.
Paul Goldschmidt drove in his first two runs this month, with a two-out, two-run single in the third and Nolan Arenado followed with a two-run homer in that inning. But the Cardinals blew a lead that ballooned to 6-0 before the Dodgers rallied for seven runs in the final three innings for a 7-6 win.
For the second night in succession, the Cardinals had turned to left-hander Packy Naughton. For the second night in succession Naughton came through. Inheriting two runners with one out in the sixth, Naughton ran his string of stranding runners to 11.
But the rest of the bullpen was horrid — Ryan Helsley wasn't used — with Giovanny Gallegos muffing the save in the ninth when the Dodgers scored twice.
Justin Turner doubled to open the ninth for the Dodgers and his pinch runner, Austin Barnes, inadvertently helped the Dodgers. Barnes fell down between third and home, trying to score on Cody Bellinger's single but scrambled back safely to third as Bellinger went to second as the Cardinals missed getting Barnes. Max Muncy's sacrifice fly tied the score and moved to third Bellinger, who scored on a single by Hanser Alberto.
The Cardinals were deprived of a fourth successive victory.
Dodgers game plan for ‘Waino’
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts adjusted his lineup Wednesday, including moving Bellinger, a .209 hitter with 11 homers, from seventh to sixth in the order, against Wainwright.
“They’re going to lean on Adam to go deep,” said Roberts. “Third time through I like the matchup--Cody vs. Wainwright.”
Bellinger chased a curveball for strike three on his first at-bat in the second inning. He rolled to first base in his second at-bat in the fourth. He fouled out in the sixth.
Wainwright came into the game with a brilliant 6-2 mark and 1.64 earned run average against the Dodgers at Busch Stadium. And Roberts had been impressed.
“He’s a heckuva baseball player, not just pitcher. And he just understands his pitch mix and how to attack hitters,” said Roberts. “It’s not a lot of velocity, but he pitches to all quadrants. He can speed you up with a cut fastball to the lefties, followed up with a breaking ball for a strike. He can shorten it. He’s just got really good feel, doesn’t make a whole lot of mistakes, doesn’t give in. So I think. . . we’ve got to stay to the big part of the field and not try to get too big with him.”
The Dodgers had just one extra-base hit off Wainwright, who has won just once in his past 10 starts.
Cardinals All-Stars get the best of Dodgers All-Star
Los Angeles split-fingered specialist Gonsolin well could start next Tuesday’s All-Star Game for the National League. But, for the first time in 18 starts, he allowed four runs in a game, let alone in one inning when he was bested by two of his future All-Star teammates.
Goldschmidt raised his average with men in scoring position to .407 when he delivered a two-out, two-run single to right in the third. Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman did not cut off the throw from right fielder Mookie Betts as Tommy Edman scored the second run easily and Goldschmidt went to second when a good transfer from the Dodgers would have caught Goldschmidt at second for the final out.
This gave Arenado a shot and, on a 1-2 count, he mashed a split-fingered pitch into the left-field seats for his 18th homer and a 4-0 Cardinals lead. Gonsolin hadn’t even allowed as many as three earned runs in a game this year.
Andrew Knizner, who had been nothing for his past 12 before his recent upward tick, singled with one out. Edman stroked his second double of the night, this one going to center where Bellinger made a sliding stop, and Knizner stopped at third.
Dylan Carlson fanned on a 3-2 slider before Goldschmidt connected on a four-seamer, driving in his first runs in 13 games.
Carlson, Arenado to the rescue
Carlson made up for his failure by making a sliding catch in center field to thwart a rally in the fourth as the Dodgers raised Wainwright’s pitch to 88 pitches for the night. Carlson robbed Gavin Lux of a bloop single after Max Muncy walked for the second time and Jake Lamb singled. In the fifth, which ended with Wainwright at 104 pitches, third baseman Arenado went far to his left to throw out speedy Trea Turner.
Knizner, Nootbaar stay hot
Lars Nootbaar singled to right with two outs in the Cardinals’ fourth and Knizner got his second hit of the night and seventh in his past 11 at-bats, when he doubled to left. Lamb, normally an infielder, finally got to the ball but overthrew one cutoff man and Nootbaar slid home easily as the lead went to 5-0. Nootbaar singled to score Albert Pujols, who had singled to open the sixth.
Bullpen struggles to put game away
Drew VerHagen, just off the injured list, struck out the first two men he faced in the seventh but Freeman singled for his seventh hit in two nights and Will Smith cracked a 420-foot homer.
Genesis Cabrera and Junior Fernandez didn't do any better in the eighth. Mookie Betts doubled to score one and Turner singled in two off Fernandez for three runs, two charged to Cabrera. Fernandez then walked Freeman before retiring Smith on a grounder to Arenado.
