Cards edge Dodgers 2-1, extend wild-card lead

[September 14, 2012]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Allen Craig drove in Shane Robinson with the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals extended their NL wild-card lead over Los Angeles to two games with a 2-1 victory over the struggling Dodgers on Thursday night.

Lance Lynn (15-7) pitched six innings of five-hit ball to earn his first win since July 27 for the Cardinals, striking out seven in the All-Star's return to the rotation after a bullpen demotion.

Skip Schumaker had an early run-scoring single as St. Louis (76-68) snapped its three-game skid and a four-game road losing streak with a nail-biting win over the Dodgers (74-70), who have lost four straight.

Adrian Gonzalez had an RBI double in the Dodgers' seventh loss in eight games.

Both teams stumbled into Dodger Stadium for a four-game series hardly resembling the top two contenders to face Atlanta in the NL wild card playoff game.

St. Louis and Los Angeles had lost three straight and six of seven, allowing Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and even Arizona to creep into striking distance in the wild-card race.

Josh Beckett gave up seven hits and a run while pitching into the sixth inning of his fourth start for Los Angeles, while rookie Paco Rodriguez (0-1) and Ronald Belisario allowed the seventh-inning rally capped by Craig's RBI single. The Southern California native's bouncing grounder barely made it into right field, scoring pinch-hitter Robinson from second.

Jason Motte gave up Hanley Ramirez's two-out double in the ninth, but got Shane Victorino on a soft flyball to complete his 34th save.

The defending World Series champion Cardinals eked out just enough runs to earn their fourth win in 16 games, while the revamped Dodgers still haven't figured out how to turn their enormous new collection of talent into victories.

After getting banished to the bullpen last month, Lynn made the most of his chance to take the turn of injured Jake Westbrook. Lynn won his first six starts this season and was voted to the All-Star game by the players, but plummeted out of favor and made six relief appearances since his previous start Aug. 24.

Beckett struck out six and had decent numbers despite laboring through long stretches of his second home start since the trade. He also didn't endear himself to Dodgers fans by putting a line drive into right field in the third inning and then getting thrown out at first by Carlos Beltran when he didn't hustle to the base.

Gonzalez drove in Mark Ellis in the first inning with a double in the gap, getting an RBI for the sixth time in 10 games at Dodger Stadium since arriving in last month's megatrade. The slugger went 3 for 20 on the Dodgers' disappointing road trip.

Schumaker evened it with the third of three consecutive singles in the second for the Cardinals, slowing his own 3-for-20 skid over his previous eight games.

After rescuing Beckett from a sixth-inning jam, Rodriguez walked Robinson and allowed Matt Carpenter's one-out single in the seventh. Belisario got Matt Holliday on a fly to center, but Craig delivered.

NOTES: Jose Canseco watched the game from a field box wearing a black T-shirt reading: "Sorry For Everything Mark," an apparent reference to Mark McGwire, his former Oakland Athletics teammate and the Cardinals' hitting coach. ... Craig was born in Mission Viejo and graduated from high school in Temecula. ... Rodriguez began this year at the University of Florida, where he made the All-SEC first team. The Dodgers' second-round pick was the first member of the 2012 draft class to make the majors when he debuted in San Francisco last Sunday. ... Beckett hadn't pitched against the Cardinals since 2005. ... Entering the night, Lynn led the NL with 6.60 runs of support per game. ... IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves threw out the first pitch. IndyCar finishes its season this weekend in Fontana.

[Associated Press; By GREG BEACHAM]

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