Steve Webb
Game 125, 8/18/2024: Dodgers 2, Cardinals 1
ST. LOUIS, MO — Remember after Clayton Kershaw got shelled by the Padres, everybody said he was done? Yeah, maybe not. The sure-fire Hall of Famer took the mound on Sunday afternoon in St. Louis and threw an absolute masterpiece for six innings of shutout ball. Meanwhile, the Dodgers were able to scratch just enough runs across the plate against St. Louis starter Sonny Gray, and the Dodgers got a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals to end their Midwestern swing on a winning note.
The first three innings were full of opportunities for the Dodgers to score, but they yielded a big fat zero. Gavin Lux hit a pair of doubles, but was left on base each time. Once, Teoscar Hernandez was robbed of an extra-base hit by a ridiculous catch in center from Victor Scott II. Then, in the third, Lux, Teo and Mookie Betts were all stranded when Miguel Rojas grounded into an inopportune double play.
Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw was buzzing through the Cardinals’ batting order. In just 31 pitches, Kersh dispatched the Cards with ease in the first three innings, aided by a double play ball and a caught-stealing from Austin Barnes. He was landing all his first pitches for strikes, and getting weak contact when the hitters did put the ball in play.
After trading zeros in the fourth, the Dodgers finally broke through in the fifth. Shohei Ohtani launched a Sonny Gray curveball into the Cardinals bullpen for a solo home run, his 39th of the season. Ohtani’s march for a 40/40 season is nearly complete. Could an unprecedented 50/50 year be in his sights? Time will tell.
The Dodgers were not done in the fifth. After Ohtani’s blast, a Mookie Betts walk and singles from Gavin Lux and Miguel Rojas plated the team’s second run of the afternoon. The rally ended there, but Clayton Kershaw took the mound in the bottom of the fifth with his first lead of the day.
After a scoreless fifth, things got a little dicey for Kershaw in the sixth, when he gave up back-to-back singles to start off the inning. However, Clayton managed to wriggle off the hook thanks to a flyout and 5U-3 double play. That nifty play, between Miguel Rojas and Kike Hernandez, ended what was yet another great start from Number 22. Kershaw’s line for the day: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.
With both starters out of the ballgame, it was up to the bullpen to bring this one home. The Dodgers couldn’t get anything started against Cards’ relievers in the fifth and sixth, and in the bottom of the seventh, Evan Phillips was tasked with preserving the slim Dodger lead. Phillips gave up a hit, but pitched a scoreless frame. In the eighth, Daniel Hudson got dinged for homer from Lars Nootbaar to cut the lead in half. Then, in the ninth, Michael Kopech came in and got the help of a double play ball to end the game and secure the Dodgers’ win.
No rest for the Dodgers as they finish the road trip at 4-3. They head home to take on a trio of American League teams in the next homestand, a nine-gamer starting Monday. First, it’s the Seattle Mariners, then the Tampa Bay Rays, and finally, the playoff-bound Orioles head into town during the next two weeks. The Dodgers will try to get things rolling with the M’s on Monday with Gavin Stone on the mound. He’ll face off against righty Bryan Woo (5-1, 2.06 ERA, 56 K). Game time 7:10 PDT.
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