Dodgers vs. Cardinals Game 1 live updates
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Mike Penner will be providing a live inning-by-inning account of Game 1 between the Dodgers and Cardinals when the game starts at approximately 6:35 Pacific. Penner will update this blog each half-inning, and you can follow the in-game box score by clicking here.
FINAL SCORE: Dodgers 5, Cardinals 3. Weaver gets the win, Broxton the save. The two teams combine for a record 30 runners left on base. Dodgers take a 1-0 lead in the best of five series.
TOP OF THE NINTH INNING (Dodgers 5, Cardinals 3)
Holliday pops to second. Ludwick singles to right. Molina strikes out swinging, Ludwick stealing second on the play. DeRosa hits a fly ball to shallow center field; Kemp, playing deep, can’t get to the ball and allows it to skip past him, Ludwick scoring and DeRosa taking second. Ankiel, batting for Boggs, strikes out to end the game.
BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH INNING (Dodgers 5, Cardinals 2)
Boggs replaces Hawksworth. With one out, Blake walks on four pitches. Belliard walks on four pitches. Hudson runs for Belliard. Pujols takes a hit away from Martin with a spectacular dive-grab-and-throw-while-flat-on-his-back toss to Boggs covering first base. Runners advance to third and second. Broxton strikes out. All-time combined left-on-base record reaches 29.
TOP OF THE EIGHTH INNING (Dodgers 5, Cardinals 2)
Sherrill replaces Kuo. Lugo pops to second. Schumaker is hit by a pitch. Ryan flies to right. Broxton replaces Sherrill, becoming the Dodgers’ sixth pitcher of the night. Pujols grounds to third. Cardinals now with 13 runners left on base. Combined, the two teams have left 27 runners on base, an all-time postseason record.
BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH INNING (Dodgers 5, Cardinals 2)
Hawksworth becomes the Cardinals’ fifth pitcher of the night, replacing Miller. Furcal hits an opposite-field single, his third hit of the night. Kemp strikes out swinging. Ethier walks on a full-count pitch, advancing Furcal to second. Ramirez grounds to second, starting an inning-ending double play. Dodgers have five runs, lead by three runs, yet have left 15 runners on base.
TOP OF THE SEVENTH INNING (Dodgers 5, Cardinals 2)
Kuo replaces Belisario. Holliday strikes out swinging on a full-count fastball. Ludwick grounds to second. Molina singles to left. DeRosa singles to right, Molina stopping at second. Glaus, batting for Rasmus, strikes out swinging. Cardinals leave two runners on base, bringing their seven-inning total to 12.
BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH INNING (Dodgers 5, Cardinals 2)
Reyes replaces Carpenter, who began the game 5-0 lifetime against the Dodgers but couldn’t last more than five innings this night. Reyes makes one pitch, to Ethier, who doubles to right field. LaRussa has seen enough and hands the ball to McClellan. Ramirez flies to right. Loney drives an opposite-field single to left, Ethier advancing to third. Blake lines to short. Belliard walks to load the bases. McClellan hits Martin with a pitch to the rib cage, Ethier scoring, Loney advancing to third and Belliard taking second. Miller replaces McClellan. Thome, batting for Belisario, strikes out on a full-count fastball. The Dodgers leave the bases loaded.
TOP OF THE SIXTH INNING (Dodgers 4, Cardinals 2)
Belisario replaces Weaver. Schumaker grounds to third. Ryan grounds to short. Pujols grounds to short. The first 1-2-3 inning of the game
BOTTOM OF THE FIFTH INNING (Dodgers 4, Cardinals 2)
After two strikeouts in two at-bats, Belliard singles to right. Martin walks. Pierre, pinch-hitting for Weaver, drops a bunt just in front of home plate; the ball is bobbled by St. Louis catcher Molina, who only has a play at first. Belliard moves to third and Martin takes second on the sacrifice. Furcal hits a deep fly ball to right, Belliard tagging and scoring, Martin tagging and taking second. Kemp flies to right.
TOP OF THE FIFTH INNING (Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2)
Molina grounds to short. DeRosa grounds to second. Rasmus doubles down the right-field line. Carpenter strikes out swinging.
BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH INNING (Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2)
Furcal grounds to third base. Kemp grounds to short. Ethier grounds a single to right. Ramirez lines a double down the left-field line; Ryan drops the relay throw from Holliday, but third-base coach Bowa had already stopped Ethier at third. Loney walks to load the bases. Blake lines out to right.
TOP OF THE FOURTH INNING (Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2)
Rasmus walks on a full-count pitch. Rasmus advances to second on a sacrifice bunt by Carpenter. Schumaker lines a double down the left-field line, Rasmus scoring. Ryan pops out to first. Pujols is intentionally walked for the second time in three plate appearances. Holliday is hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Jeff Weaver replaces Wolf. Ludwick grounds to the pitcher.
BOTTOM OF THE THIRD INNING (Dodgers 3, Cardinals 1)
Ethier is hit on the left foot by a pitch. Ramirez walks. Loney flies to right field, Ethier tagging and advancing to third. Blake hits a sharp grounder just over third base; DeRosa makes a diving stop, gets up, turns and flings a wild throw over second base into right-centerfield. Ethier scores on the play, Ramirez stops at second. Belliard strikes out. Martin walks to load the bases. Wolf pops out short.
TOP OF THE THIRD INNING (Dodgers 2, Cardinals 1)
With one out, Holliday singles to right. Ludwick follows with a walk on four pitches. Molina hits a deep drive to right field, Ethier making a running catch on the warning track. DeRosa hits a ground ball to short for a force out at second base.
BOTTOM OF THE SECOND (Dodgers 2, Cardinals 1)
Martin grounds out to shortstop. Wolf grounds out to first base. Furcal drives the ball into the right field corner, the ball getting away from Ludwig to allow Furcal to head into third with a stand-up triple. Kemp strikes out.
TOP OF THE SECOND INNING (Dodgers 2, Cardinals 1)
DeRosa leads off with a single to left. Rasmus lines to third and Blake tries to double DeRosa off first base; Loney leaps over DeRosa to grab the throw, DeRosa scrambling to get back to first. Carpenter tries to lay down a sacrifice bunt but fails, striking out. Schumaker grounds a single past Belliard, DeRosa stopping at second. Ryan flies out to deep left field.
BOTTOM OF THE FIRST INNING (Dodgers 2, Çardinals 1)
Furcal leads off with a line drive single to left field. Kemp homers to deep right-center field to give the Dodgers the lead. Ethier grounds to second bases. Ramirez grounds to first base, Pujols making a nice sprawling scoop. Loney and Blake hit back-to-back singles. Belliard strikes out to end the inning.
TOP OF THE FIRST INNING (Cardinals 1, Dodgers 0)
Playoff rookie Wolf looks the part early, allowing the first three batters he faces to reach base: a walk to Skip Schumaker followed by a ground rule double down the left-field line followed by an intentional to Albert Pujols to load the bases. Wolf finally gets an out, striking out Matt Holliday looking. Ryan Ludwick sends a floater over second base. Ronnie Belliard heads out, Matt Kemp heads in, the ball falls between them for a single, Schumaker scoring. With the bases still loaded, Wolf avoids further damage by getting Yadier Molina to ground to shortstop to start a double play that ends the threat.
To whet your appetite, a pre-game analysis from Ben Bolch:
After 275 major league starts in 11 seasons, Dodgers left-hander Randy Wolf will make his postseason debut this evening at Dodger Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the National League division series.
“It’s a lot of fun to do it in a place that’s my hometown,” Wolf said Tuesday. “I grew up here. I grew up watching this team. This was the big league stadium I went to when I was a kid, and for my first experience as far as the postseason to be in L.A., my hometown, is pretty special.”
Wolf earned the start in the Dodgers’ playoff opener by going 6-1 with a 2.53 earned-run average in his last 10 starts. The Dodgers were 22-12 in Wolf’s starts, and he gave up two earned runs or fewer in 20 of his 34 starts.
Wolf has not fared particularly well against the Cardinals in his career, however, going 3-5 with a 3.64 ERA in 10 starts. He gave up two runs in six innings July 27 at Busch Stadium during the Dodgers’ 6-1 loss to the Cardinals.
“It’s going to be a battle,” Wolf said. “If I execute what I want to execute, go out there and throw strikes, I think I’ll give this team a chance to win. We have a good team and it’s going to be a battle going against a tough guy and I think if we just all stay with ourselves and play the way we can, we definitely have a shot.”
Wolf will be opposed by Chris Carpenter, who is 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA against the Dodgers in his career and won both of his starts against them this season. St. Louis has won six of the seven division series it has participated in, including four by three-game sweeps.