LOS ANGELES - The series was set to move to St. Louis even at a game apiece. Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin had coaxed the final fly ball to polish off a sterling outing by Adam Wainwright.
Left fielder Matt Holliday, however, dropped James Loney's would-be game-ending fly ball for a two-base error. Two batters later, Ronnie Belliard singled home the tying run. And with the bases eventually loaded, pinch-hitter Mark Loretta dropped a single into center field as the Dodgers rallied for an inconceivable 3-2 win over the Cardinals to take a two games to none lead in the NL division series.
Game 3 is tomorrow in St. Louis.
Chris Carpenter and Wainwright, the two Cardinals vying with San Francisco's Tim Lincecum for the National League's Cy Young Award, lost consecutive games only once during the regular season. And, predictably, after the Dodgers roughed up Carpenter in the series opener Wednesday, Wainwright answered in Game 2. Wainwright retired the first 11 batters and held Los Angeles to one run and three hits in eight innings.
Despite Wainwright's mastery, he still needed to escape a bases-loaded jam in the eighth while protecting a one-run lead. He did just that, shattering Matt Kemp's bat for the second time in the game while inducing a grounder to first baseman Albert Pujols.
Russell Martin had delivered a two-out single to begin the threat. Wainwright, with his 100th pitch, then plunked pinch-hitter Jim Thome, prompting a visit from pitching coach Dave Duncan. Wainwright followed by missing outside on a full-count curveball to Rafael Furcal, which loaded the bases for Kemp.
Dodgers lefthander Clayton Kershaw mostly kept pace with Wainwright, but St.Louis took a 2-1 lead in the seventh. After a leadoff single by Mark DeRosa, rookie Colby Rasmus delivered an RBI double with a shot over the head of Kemp in center field. Rasmus led rookies with 147 games played this season while hitting .251 with 16 homers and 52 RBI in 474 at-bats.
Holliday's second-inning homer on a curveball from Kershaw opened the scoring.
Wainwright was perfect until Andre Ethier homered to even the score at 1 with two out in the fourth inning. Ethier, who had a major-league-best six walk-off hits during the regular season, registered his first RBI in 12 career postseason games.
The Dodgers didn't get their second hit until Furcal's two-out single in the sixth inning - and that should have been a flyout. Right fielder Ryan Ludwick, despite wearing sunglasses, had difficulty locating the ball on the bright afternoon and took a circular route, allowing it to drop. Wainwright then broke Kemp's bat on a grounder to shortstop to end the inning.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/2009/10/08/2009-10-08_matt_holliday.html#ixzz0TPU6IqFv
