Dodgers knock out Miller, whip Cardinals 13-4

[August 08, 2013]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Carl Crawford line-drive double off Shelby Miller's right elbow ended the St. Louis Cardinals starter's night after just two pitches and the Los Angeles Dodgers punished the rookie's replacements, too, in a 13-4 victory on Wednesday night.

Andre Ethier and Skip Schumaker each had three hits and a season-best four RBIs and Crawford had a season-best four hits and a walk. The Dodgers had 18 hits to top their previous best by one, a night after the Cardinals ended their franchise-record 15-game road winning streak, and are 16-3 since the All-Star break.

X-rays were negative for the 22-year-old Miller, among the league leaders with a 2.89 ERA while going 11-7 in 22 starts, on what the team described as an elbow contusion. Miller pivoted after the pitch to Crawford with his back to the plate, but couldn't get his arm out of the way of the liner that bounded into shallow left field for a double.

Schumaker and Jerry Hairston Jr. had two RBIs apiece in a six-run second off Jake Westbrook, the scheduled starter Thursday working on three days' rest.

Cardinals third-string catcher Rob Johnson got the last out in the ninth in his second career pitching appearance, striking out Dodgers reliever Paco Rodriguez.

Ricky Nolasco (8-9) opened with four scoreless innings before giving up three runs in the fifth, all of them unearned because of the pitcher's wild throw to first for a three-base error.

Rookie Michael Blazek worked out of a bases-loaded jam to finish a scoreless first before the Dodgers took off, sending 10 batters against Westbrook (7-7) in the second.

Carlos Martinez, among the Cardinals top pitching prospects, is scheduled to start Thursday for Triple-A Memphis and could be promoted to face the Dodgers and Hyun-Jin Ryu. The 21-year-old right-hander is 4-2 with a 1.76 ERA in the minors and made his major league debut earlier this year out of the bullpen, with a 5.56 ERA in 11 1-3 innings over 10 appearances.

The 35-year-old Westbrook made his first regular-season relief appearance since April 19, 2004, when he worked seven perfect innings for Cleveland against Detroit. In 4 2-3 innings he gave up nine runs on 13 hits.

A Star Wars-themed night that featured graphically-enhanced images of Cardinals players on the video board, and storm troopers at home plate for the exchange of lineup cards fell flat with Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, who said he'd never seen any movies in the series.

"We weren't a movie-going family," said Matheny, who recalled a childhood minus cable TV, too, and days spent playing football, baseball and Wiffleball.

NOTES: The Dodgers' Matt Kemp was eligible to come off the DL Tuesday from a left ankle injury but manager Don Mattingly said he's not ready to sprint and make sudden stops and cuts. ... Holliday has grounded into a career-high 25 double plays, by far the most in the majors, and David Freese is among the leaders with 18 after getting victimized in the fourth. Former Cardinal Albert Pujols twice led the league, totaling 29 in 2011. ... Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig's attempt at a leaping catch in the stands was thwarted by a fan who gloved the ball on Matt Adams' long foul.

[Associated Press; By R.B. FALLSTROM]

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