Cardinals beat Dodgers 7-0 behind Lance Lynn

[May 25, 2013]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lance Lynn pitched two-hit ball over six innings, and David Freese and Allen Craig each homered and drove in three runs, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-0 on Friday night for their third win in a row.

The last-place Dodgers' fifth loss in seven games came a few hours after team president Stan Kasten said manager Don Mattingly was not in immediate danger of being fired.

"I do expect things to turn around," Kasten said before the game. "I expect Donnie to be here for a long time."

Lynn (7-1) struck out nine and walked one for the NL Central leaders. The only hits he gave up were a single to Carl Crawford to open the game and a double to Juan Uribe in the third.

Chris Capuano (1-3) allowed six runs -- five earned -- and six hits in five-plus innings. The left-hander struck out four and walked three.

Freese's two-run homer into the Dodgers' bullpen in left field extended the Cardinals' lead to 6-0 in the sixth. His RBI double in the second drove in Jon Jay with their first run. Dodger catcher A.J. Ellis went down for a few minutes after Jay collided with him, but stayed in the game.

Craig homered with two outs in the fifth after his two-run double in the third made it 3-0.

St. Louis tacked on another run in the seventh when reliever Matt Guerrier gave up consecutive walks to Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday to open the inning. He then hit Craig to load the bases before Yadier Molina's sacrifice fly scored Beltran.

Dodger sluggers Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier were a combined 0 for 6, with Kemp striking out twice. Ethier returned to the starting lineup after being benched by Mattingly three times in six games on the team's road trip to Atlanta and Milwaukee.

NOTES: The Dodgers were shut out for the fourth time this season and the first since losing 1-0 to Arizona on April 14. ... The Cardinals improved to 17-8 on the road, the most wins away from home in the majors this season. ... Mattingly said SS Hanley Ramirez, on the DL with a strained left hamstring, will play four or five rehab games. "I don't think he's quite as close as it looks," the manager said. ... Dodgers OF Jerry Hairston Jr., on the DL with a strained left groin, is set to play six innings for Class A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday.

[Associated Press; By BETH HARRIS]

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