Cardinals hold off late Dodgers rally to snap four-game skid

[September 09, 2021]  Yadier Molina smacked a two-run home run, reached base three times and scored twice to lead the St. Louis Cardinals past the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 Wednesday.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Giovanny Gallegos (65) celebrates with catcher Yadier Molina (4) after closing out the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Wainwright (15-7) worked 8 1/3 innings as the Cardinals (70-68) snapped a four-game losing streak. He allowed the four runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out four.

Giovanny Gallegos got the last two outs to earn his fifth save.

Max Muncy hit a homer and scored twice for the Dodgers (88-52), who fell two games behind the San Francisco Giants in the National League West.

Los Angeles starting pitcher Mitch White (1-3) allowed four runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out six batters and walked none.

The Dodgers took a 1-0 first-inning lead, but they could have scored more.

After Muncy and Mookie Betts hit one-out singles, Corey Seager smacked a double off the center field wall. Muncy scored, but Cardinals shortstop Edmundo Sosa's relay to the plate nailed Betts.

Tommy Edman and Paul Goldschmidt led off the bottom of the inning with singles, then executed a double steal. Nolan Arenado hit a run-scoring groundout, and Molina followed with his homer to put the Cardinals up 3-1.

Molina hit a one-out single in the fourth inning and took second when left fielder Chris Taylor muffed the ball. Molina took third on a wild pitch and scored on Sosa's two-out single to make it 4-1.

Wainwright settled in to retire 15 consecutive batters until Muncy's solo homer in the sixth inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, Tyler O'Neill was hit by a pitch, Lars Nootbaar walked with two outs and Sosa reached on an infield single to load the bases against Brusdar Graterol. However, Harrison Bader grounded out to strand them.

O'Neill's homer in the eighth pushed the Cardinals' lead to 5-2.

Singles by Trea Turner, Betts and Seager cut the Dodgers' deficit to 5-3 and chased Wainwright in the ninth. Will Smith's sacrifice fly made it 5-4, but Gallegos struck out Chris Taylor to end the game.

--Field Level Media

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