|
 Driving in all three runs Friday, Holliday paced St. Louis to a
3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in a rematch of last year's
National League Championship Series at sold-out Busch Stadium.
Holliday's first-inning double that scored second baseman Kolten
Wong was the 400th two-bagger of his career. In the fifth inning,
Holliday scored the 1,000th run of his career when he rifled a
two-run homer to center, a 435-foot blast off Los Angeles starter
Dan Haren.
"I didn't even know, actually," Holliday said when asked how it felt
to score 1,000 runs. "It just means I've played with a lot of great
players who have knocked me in."
The result kept the Cardinals (53-44) within a game of first-place
Milwaukee in the NL Central, and the Dodgers (54-44) fell into a
first-place tie with San Francisco in the NL West.
Two swings of Holliday's bat were the reasons why, providing a
reminder that he might be ready to enjoy one of his characteristic
second-half surges after slugging only six homers and knocking in 45
runs before the All-Star break.
His double was a laser that short-hopped the center field wall. His
homer, off a bad first-pitch fastball from Haren, hit about
three-fourths of the way up a grassy knoll behind the center field
wall.
"It's a good sign when you're hitting the ball to the grass,"
Holliday said. "It means you're hitting the ball up the middle with
backspin. You're feeling good."
Aside from a brief stretch last month when he tried Holliday in the
No. 2 spot, manager Mike Matheny has kept his veteran slugger in the
No. 3 hole, figuring that at some point he would start pounding the
ball.
"He's just nice to watch when it all clicks," Matheny said of
Holliday. "Matt's had a great career. I'm looking forward to see him
taking off in the second half."
Lance Lynn (11-6) and three relievers made Holliday's three RBIs
stand up. Avenging a two-inning, seven-run pounding at Los Angeles'
hands on June 28, Lynn worked into the seventh this time, yielding
only four hits and two runs while walking four and whiffing nine.
Lynn said he had a hard time regaining his rhythm after going nine
days between starts because of the All-Star break.
"I didn't like it," he said. "I played catch every day, but I like
to get into a routine and pitch on the fifth day."
[to top of second column] |
Lynn departed after third baseman Juan Uribe and catcher A.J. Ellis
opened the seventh with doubles, slicing St. Louis' lead to 3-1.
Reliever Seth Maness wild-pitched Ellis home with one out, but that
was it for the Dodgers' attack.
Pat Neshek worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth inning.
Trevor Rosenthal pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 29th save in 33
opportunities.
Haren (8-7) absorbed his third straight loss, giving up eight hits
and three runs in 4 2/3 innings with two walks and four strikeouts.
"I thought his split was as good as I've seen, and he was doing a
good job getting outs with his back-door cutter against lefties,"
Ellis said of Haren. "But he got hurt in the middle of the plate.
Holliday likes to hit in a certain zone and two balls ended up
there."
NOTES: St. Louis manager Mike Matheny decided not to start ace RHP
Adam Wainwright this weekend against Los Angeles, opting instead to
rest the National League All-Star starter until Tuesday night, when
he'll face Tampa Bay. Struggling starter Shelby Miller will also get
time off and might work out of the bullpen. The team won't need a
fifth starter until Aug. 2. ... The Dodgers on Friday recalled LHP
reliever Paco Rodriguez from Triple-A Albuquerque. Rodriguez, a key
part of the team's bullpen last year, retired the Cardinals in order
in the seventh. ... The Dodgers also activated INF Justin Turner
(left hamstring strain) from the disabled list and optioned INF
Carlos Triunfel to Albuquerque. Turner pinch-hit for reliever Chris
Perez in the seventh and grounded out.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
