United Group Insurance

Dodgers top Cardinals 3-0, cut NLCS deficit to 2-1

Sports

October 15th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hyun-Jin Ryu outpitched Adam Wainwright with seven innings of three-hit ball, Adrian Gonzalez’s RBI double ended a 1-for-17 drought for the Dodgers with runners in scoring position, and Los Angeles got back into the NL championship series with a 3-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.

Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez also had run-scoring hits for the Dodgers, who trail the best-of-seven series 2-1. Game 4 is Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, followed by Game 5 on Wednesday. Retired Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda, whose 1988 team won the franchise’s last World Series title in 1988, stood up and waved his white rally towel in the eighth to raucous applause.

St. Louis third baseman David Freese left Game 3 of the NL championship series in the fifth inning Monday night with an apparent ankle injury. Pinch-runner Daniel Descalso then made a major mistake in his place, getting doubled off second base to hurt a St. Louis rally. Freese singled to lead off the fifth with the Cardinals’ first hit off Dodgers left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu, but the Cardinals’ training staff came out to meet him at first base.

After Freese advanced to second on Matt Adams’ single, Descalso emerged from the St. Louis dugout to replace Freese. Descalso then took off for third base on Jon Jay’s tailing fly to shallow left field, and Carl Crawford doubled him up. The Cardinals failed to score in the inning and trailed 2-0.