Dodgers 13, Cardinals 2

ST. LOUIS — Clayton Kershaw won his National League-leading 16th game and Rod Barajas homered twice in Los Angeles’ victory over fast-fading St. Louis Tuesday night.

Kyle Lohse (11-8) was rocked for a season-worst eight runs in three innings, an impossible deficit against the 23-year-old Kershaw, who struck out eight in six scoreless innings. The Cardinals have lost six of eight and dropped a season-high 10 games behind the NL Central-leading Brewers.

Matt Kemp hit a three-run homer in the first and Barajas had a solo homer in the third and three-run shot in the fifth for his 11th multihomer game, also giving him four in five games. The Dodgers hit a season-high four homers while winning consecutive games in St. Louis for the first time since July 9-10, 2003, and will go for a three-game sweep on Wednesday behind Hiroki Kuroda.

Kershaw (16-6) is 8-1 with a 1.21 ERA in his last nine starts and hiked his NL-leading strikeout total to 207. The Cardinals threatened twice, but Kershaw struck out Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman with two on to end the first and struck out the side in the fourth to negate a double, infield hit and walk.

Kemp also doubled and scored in the second and needs one homer to become the second player in franchise history with 30 homers and 30 steals. Barajas is batting .381 (16-for-42) in August with five homers, three doubles and 16 RBIs in 13 games.

Yadier Molina and Rafael grounded into double plays to give the Cardinals 139 on the year, by far the most in the majors. Second baseman Skip Schumaker pitched the ninth and surrendered a solo homer to Aaron Miles, who had been the last Cardinals position player to pitch, twice last season.

Lohse had been 5-1 with a 2.98 ERA against NL West opponents before coming up empty, with half of the Dodgers’ eight hits for extra bases. The right-hander had won his previous three decisions.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa passed on a chance to cut into Kershaw’s cushion when he allowed reliever Mitchell Boggs to bat with two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth. Boggs struck out on three pitches.

National League

Diamondbacks 2, Nationals 0 at Washington: Sean Burroughs hit a two-run home run and Ian Kennedy pitched seven scoreless innings to lead Arizona to a 2-0 win over Washington.

Brewers 11, Pirates 4 at Pittsburgh: Casey McGehee homered during Milwaukee’s seven-run second inning and the surging Brewers rebounded from a rare recent loss with an 11-4 win over Pittsburgh.

Phillies 9, Mets 4 at Philadelphia: John Mayberry Jr. hit another homer and Shane Victorino also went deep to back Vance Worley and help Philadelphia beat New York.

Reds 8, Marlins 6 at Miami: Yonder Alonso homered and drove in four runs, including a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning that sent Cincinnati to a victory over fading Florida.

Braves 5, Cubs 4 at Chicago: Craig Kimbrel tied a major league rookie record with his 40th save, Jason Heyward hit his first career grand slam, and Atlanta hung on to win their sixth straight, beating Chicago.

National League

Indians 7-7, Mariners 5-12 at Cleveland: Shin-Soo Choo’s three-run homer in the ninth inning gave Cleveland yet another dramatic win, 7-5, in the first game of a doubleheader briefly shaken by an earthquake.

In the second game, Anthony Vasquez won his major league debut with a ton of run support and fellow rookie Dustin Ackley had three RBIs as Seattle split a day-night doubleheader, taking the second game over the sinking Indians 12-7.

Royals, 6, Blue Jays 4 at Toronto: Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler homered, Bruce Chen won four consecutive starts for the first time in his career as Kansas City beat Toronto.

Athletics 6, Yankees 5 at New York: Brandon Allen hit two tape-measure homers, Eric Sogard connected for one that barely cleared the wall as Oakland hung on to beat New York.

Tigers 2, Rays 1 at St. Petersburg, Fla.: Brad Penny pitched effectively into the seventh inning, Alex Avila had an RBI single and Detroit beat Tampa Bay.

Orioles 8, Twins 1 at Minneapolis: Alfredo Simon allowed one run and three hits in a career-high eight innings, and Vladimir Guerrero and Mark Reynolds both had three hits as Baltimore beat Minnesota.

Red Sox 11, Rangers 5 at Arlington, Texas: Adrian Gonzalez homered twice, Jacoby Ellsbury made an immediate impact in his return to the lineup and Boston finally won a game in Texas.

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Published: Aug. 22, 2011 at 11:51 PM

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ST. LOUIS, July 31 (UPI) — The St. Louis Cardinals Sunday acquired shortstop Rafael Furcal from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for a minor league outfielder.

Furcal is hitting just .197 with a .272 on-base-percentage in 37 games in an injury-plagued season this year. But he has shown signs of recovery lately, hitting .303 and driving in five runs in his last nine games.

The veteran shortstop, a two-time all-star with a career .283 batting average, has to approve the deal for it to become final.

In return, the Dodgers received 24-year-old Alex Castellanos, who had belted 19 home runs and was hitting .319 in 93 games for Class AA Springfield this season.

“We feel that Furcal will give us added veteran experience when it comes to a pennant race,” Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak said. “Rafael has been an excellent top of the order hitter and he brings plenty of athleticism and defense.”

The Cardinals entered Sunday’s play 1 1/2 games behind Milwaukee atop the National League Central.

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LOS ANGELES – Chad Billingsley cooled off one of baseball’s hottest offenses through eight innings before Matt Kemp got to Ryan Franklin again. This time, his two-run, walk-off homer salvaged a victory for the struggling Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kemp crushed his game-winner in the bottom of the ninth for a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday that ended the Dodgers’ five-game skid.

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Ryan Franklin

Dodgers 2, Cardinals 1

LOS ANGELES — Ryan Franklin defended the sinker he threw to Matt Kemp that landed in center field and prevented the St. Louis Cardinals from sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It was right where he meant to throw it, Franklin said, unlike in the series opener when Kemp homered off him but the Cardinals won anyway.

Kemp’s two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday gave the Dodgers a 2-1 win and ended their five-game losing skid.

“I made a good pitch. Anyone can go back and look at it. It was right on the corner and down,” said Franklin (0-2), who has four blown saves in five chances. “The pitch to Kemp the other night was a mistake. I was trying to get ahead with a first-pitch curveball in a 9-3 game and he hit the first pitch. So what?”

Matt Holliday went 3 for 3 and scored the Cardinals’ run. He batted .563 with five doubles and five RBI in the series.

In the Cardinals’ first three wins, they scored 29 runs and had 48 hits. Chad Billingsley made sure that didn’t happen this time, outpitching Chris Carpenter.

Carpenter allowed five hits over seven innings, struck out six and walked none. Billingsley gave up a season-low two hits over eight innings, struck out a season-high 11 and walked none in his longest outing of the season.

National League

Pirates 7, Reds 6 at Cincinnati: Andrew McCutchen opened the game with a homer against Edinson Volquez, then singled home the tiebreaking run in the eighth for Pittsburgh.

McCutchen and Jose Tabata started the game with back-to-back homers. McCutchen singled off Logan Ondrusek (2-1) for the winning run.

Rockies 9, Cubs 5 at Denver: Dexter Fowler hit a two-out, two-run double to ignite a four-run eighth as Colorado won for the eighth time in nine games.

Diamondbacks 6, Giants 5 (12 innings) at Phoenix: Stephen Drew drove in Justin Upton with one out in the 12th inning, and Arizona rallied to beat San Francisco.

Padres 8, Astros 6 at Houston: Will Venable hit a two-run single in a four-run eighth and San Diego rallied for a victory.

Nationals 8-5, Brewers 4-1 at Washington: Danny Espinosa followed up a three-run homer in the opening game with a bases-loaded triple in the seventh inning of the second game that helped the Nationals to a doubleheader sweep. In the opener, Ivan Rodriguez also hit a three-run homer.

Phillies 3, Marlins 2 at Philadelphia: Carlos Ruiz hit the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth after an error by Florida.

Mets 3, Braves 2 at Atlanta: New York’s new No. 2 hitter, Josh Thole, had two run-scoring singles as the Mets ended their seven-game losing streak.

American League

Yankees 6, Rangers 5 at New York: Eric Chavez, filling in for an ailing Alex Rodriguez, singled home the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning for the Yankees.

Indians 4, Orioles 2 at Cleveland: Grady Sizemore homered in his return for Cleveland after major knee surgery last year, and the Indians gave Baltimore its seventh straight loss.

Red Sox 8, Blue Jays 1 at Boston: Jacoby Ellsbury hit a three-run homer, Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove in three runs and Jon Lester pitched six solid innings to carry the Red Sox.

Twins 4, Rays 2 at St. Petersburg, Fla.: Brian Duensing allowed two runs over seven innings as Minnesota stopped a four-game losing streak.

Angels 4, White Sox 2 at Chicago: Dan Haren pitched into the seventh inning to improve to 4-0 as Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep.

Mariners 3, Royals 2 at Kansas City, Mo.: Brendan Ryan had a two-run tiebreaking single as Seattle snapped a four-game losing streak.

Athletics 5, Tigers 1 at Oakland, Calif.: Josh Willingham broke out of a slump with a two-run single in the fifth and the Athletics won their second straight at home.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Updated Apr 17, 2011 8:23 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (AP)

Chad Billingsley cooled off one of baseball’s hottest offenses through eight innings before Matt Kemp got to Ryan Franklin again. This time, his homer salvaged a victory for the struggling Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kemp hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday that ended the Dodgers’ five-game skid.

”It’s one way to turn the page,” new Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. ”We talked about getting that rock rolling a different direction. It’s got to start somewhere and that’s a pretty good start there.”

Kemp homered to center field on the first pitch he saw from Franklin (0-2), who has four blown saves in five chances. He did the same thing against Franklin in the series opener, but the Dodgers lost 9-5.

”He left one a little bit over the middle of the plate and I just got my kept my hands still,” Kemp said. ”He’s got a really good sinker and a really good curveball and a cutter, so he moves the ball a lot. You’ve got to try to get a pitch in the middle and use your hands, and that’s what I did.”

He went 3 for 4 for his fourth consecutive multi-hit game, and his .474 average leads the majors.

Andre Ethier led off with a double to deep right field off Trever Miller in his final at-bat, extending his major league-leading hitting streak to 14 games.

Jonathan Broxton (1-0) got the win despite giving up a two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth by David Freese.

The Dodgers avoided their first four-game sweep at home since Aug. 9-12, 1993, against Colorado.

”It’s been one of these tough breaks now where things haven’t gone our way, but we’re not going to hang our heads,” Ethier said. ”We found a way to bounce back.”

The victory prevented the Cardinals from earning their first four-game sweep in Los Angeles since 1968. Their four-game winning streak also ended after piling up 48 hits and 29 runs in the first three games of the series.

Chris Carpenter and Chad Billingsley dueled in a matchup of two of the National League’s best daytime starters over the last five-plus seasons.

Carpenter allowed five hits over seven innings, struck out six and walked none, and now has a 1.57 ERA in nine career starts against the Dodgers.

”I commanded the ball well. My cutter was good and I had command of my fastball on both sides of the plate and kept the ball down,” he said. ”I was trying to be aggressive in the strike zone and I was ahead in the count for the most part. That’s a pretty good lineup and every guy can hurt you in many different ways.”

Billingsley gave up a season-low two hits over eight innings, struck out a season-high 11, and walked none in his longest outing of the season.

”It was one of the best outings from a starter that I’ve seen in a while,” former Dodger Ryan Theriot said about Billingsley. ”He was cutting it and he was sinking it. He was throwing the cutter in and throwing it away, the sinker in and away. He had a big curve ball and a slider at 91 miles an hour. How many starters throw a slider at 91? He got me on it once.”

Mattingly let Billingsley go deep in part because the Dodgers’ bullpen has been so shoddy lately.

”He was clean all day,” Mattingly said. ”His stuff was good and sharp. That club is on fire, so to stop that momentum was huge.”

It was Kemp’s second career game-winning homer. The other came last June 1 in a 1-0, 10-inning win over Arizona.

The only other time the Dodgers advanced a runner to third came with two outs in the third. Tony Gwynn Jr. was safe at first on a fielding error by shortstop Ryan Theriot. He moved to third on Jamey Carroll’s infield single before Ethier lined out to first to end the inning.

Matt Holliday went 3 for 3 and scored the Cardinals’ only run. He batted .563 with five doubles and five RBIs in the series.

The Cardinals didn’t advance a runner to third until the eighth. Yadier Molina was safe at second when Ethier tried to shade his eyes with his left hand while attempting to make the catch in right field, but the ball dropped behind him for an error.

”I just overplayed it. I was at a tough angle,” he said. ”I looked down and took my eye off the ball.”

Daniel Descalso sacrificed Molina to third, but pinch-hitter John Jay struck out and Theriot flied to right to end the inning.

NOTES: Billingsley struck out 10 or more batters for the seventh time in his career and first since last Sept. 26 at Arizona. … The Cardinals’ streak of scoring six or more runs ended at seven games, something they hadn’t done since July 25-Aug. 3, 2004, when they did so in eight straight. … Kemp came in leading the majors with a .453 batting average and has now hit safely in 14 of the Dodgers’ 16 games. Last year, he led the team in homers with 28.

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LOS ANGELES - Dodgers starting pitcher Chad Billingsley doused a scalding offense with seven shutout innings Sunday, allowing only left fielder Matt Holliday’s second-inning double and seventh-inning single.

Billingsley struck out 10 while walking two through six innings. The Cardinals, who raked the Dodgers for a .403 average in the series’ first three games, failed to push a runner third base as a scoreless game reached the seventh inning.

Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter allowed five hits without a walk through six innings. His performance offered a contrast to his four-inning struggle five days earlier against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers managed five hits through six innings but pushed only a single runner to third base.

LOS ANGELES - The Cardinals will return to St. Louis tonight in “style.”

In a team-building exercise orchestrated by right fielder Lance Berkman and carried out by several lieutenants, the Cardinals will wear turtleneck shirts and sweaters on the team charter home from  from a successful 10-game road trip.

“Yeah, you can probably attach my name to it,” Berkman said before Sunday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Big Puma circulated the idea last weekend in San Francisco as the club dealt with consecutive late-inning losses to the Giants. As the Cardinals gained momentum on the trip, winning six of seven entering Sunday, so too did Berkman’s fashion statement.

Second baseman Skip Schumaker and starting pitcher Jake Westbrook purchased attire from thrift stores. Some players ordered on-line but had not received their designerware in time for Sunday’s display. No matter. Extras were available. Reliever Mitch Boggs’ canary yellow (size: petite) turtleneck was a hit. Trever Miller sported a camouflage look. Jon Jay and Daniel Descalso brandished a look avec matching tams as they arrived Sunday morning.

Catcher Gerald Laird went the extra mile, purchasing a screaming purple sport coat to enhance his “pimped out” look.

Schumaker put together an ensemble featuring a maroon turtleneck beneath a green frock with fringe. 

“It’s something everyone can have fun with together,” Laird said before Sunday’s game. “Guys went to some pretty good lengths to pull it off. It’s been a long road trip that didn’t start out particularly well. But something like this can bring a team together. Nothing’s wrong with guys being able to laugh at each other.”

Teams often force rookies to wear outlandish attire during a late-season road trip. However, Berkman thought it better for everyone to be involved.

Schumaker, Craig Unavailable

LOS ANGELES - Second baseman Skip Schumaker and outfielder Allen Craig will be unavailable to the Cardinals in today’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Schumaker suffered a hyperextended right elbow Friday night, according to manager Tony La Russa, and Craig suffered an apparent groin strain while stealing an eighth-inning base in Saturday’s 9-2 win.

Both players will be seen by team doctors on Monday’s off day. Craig, who was double-switched from the game in the bottom of the eighth, said he could not have continued.

Schumaker said he suffered his injury on his next-to-last at-bat Friday. He attempted to take batting practice Saturday but quickly realized the problem persisted.

General manager John Mozeliak said the club would better realize whether a roster move is required for either player after Monday’s examinations. However, Mozeliak remained optimistic the club could keep both active.

The Cardinals arrived at Dodger Stadium sporting turtlenecks in a team-building exercise. The trend replaces the moustache epidemic that went through the clubhouse two years ago.

Chris Carpenter faces Chad Billingsley this afternoon after enduring his worst start as a Cardinal last Tuesday in Arizona. Carpenter allowed eight runs and eight hits in four innings.

A Cardinals win would give the club its first four-game sweep at Dodger Stadium since July 1-4, 1968.

The Rest:

Cardinals

SS Ryan Theriot

CF Colby Rasmus

1B Albert Pujols

LF Matt Holliday

RF Lance Berkman

3B David Freese

C Yadier Molina

2B Daniel Descalso

P Chris Carpenter

Dodgers

LF Tony Gwynn, Jr.

SS Jamey Carroll

RF Andre Ethier

CF Matt Kemp

3B Juan Uribe

1B James Loney

C Rod Barajas

2B Aaron Miles

P Chad Billingsley

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LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said Saturday that it’s far too early in the season to be concerned with his club’s level of play and also dismissed a suggestion that the Dodgers seemed to sleepwalk through their lopsided losses to the St. Louis Cardinals on the previous two evenings.

“Our offense, I think, is going to get better,” Colletti said. “Guys aren’t going to hit .150 all year. If you look at every hitter in baseball who is hitting .200, you will see some pretty good names on that list. It takes some guys a little more time to get on track. … I don’t see [a lack of energy]. St. Louis came in here really hot. They have a really good lineup with three guys in the middle of it [Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman] who can really take it to you when they’re swinging good.”

The Cardinals have won five of their past six games and scored 62 runs in those six games, reaching double figures three times.

The Dodgers, by contrast, had three players in their starting lineup Saturday night against the Cardinals — catcher Rod Barajas and infielders James Loney and Juan Uribe — who all were hitting below .200. Leadoff man Rafael Furcal also was hitting below .200 (.192) before going onto the disabled list earlier this week with a broken thumb.

“We have faced good pitching,” Colletti said. “The Giants’ staff, obviously, is one of the best in the league. Colorado pitched well against us in two games, and then San Diego and [the Cardinals]. Those are four of the better pitching staffs in baseball, and that is also a part of [the struggles of] our offense.”

The Dodgers went into Saturday batting a collective .251 for the season, including .192 with runners in scoring position. They also ranked 12th in the National League in on-base percentage (.312), 13th in runs (48) and last in RBIs (39). Meanwhile, their pitching staff also ranked in the lower half of the NL with a 4.76 ERA.

There have been bright spots, however, and Colletti was quick to point to the sizzling starts of what probably are the two most important players in the Dodgers’ lineup, center fielder Matt Kemp and right fielder Andre Ethier. Kemp began the day as the major leagues’ leading hitter at .449, and Ethier was batting .358.

“I am really pleased with Matt and Andre,” Colletti said. “They are doing what they are capable of doing. That has been fine.”

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter.

There is the quick update of the day.

LOS ANGELES - Colby Rasmus entered Saturday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers riding an eight-game hitting streak that has bumped his overall average to .397. Better than being just a hot streak, the tear is indicative of the Cardinals center fielder finding a consistent stance and approach.

With his hands held slightly higher and a tap step incorporated as a timing device, Rasmus finds himself better able to hit the ball with authority to all fields. The development feels natural to him, potentially a major step for gifted young player defined by streaks good and bad during his first two seasons.

“It took awhile to learn it. People could tell me until they were blue in the face, but it didn’t matter until I learned it for myself,” Rasmus said. I’m not saying I’ve got it figured out. I’ve got a little streak going where I’ve been hot for a little bit.”

Rasmus’ “little streak” included three doubles in Friday night’s 11-2 beating of the Los Angeles Dodgers. During his current tear Rasmus has produced five doubles, a triple and two home runs while hitting immediately in front of first baseman Albert Pujols.

Rasmus entered Saturday night’s start against Dodgers lefthander Clayton Kershaw fourth in the league in hitting, tied with teammate Lance Berkman for the league lead in runs and leading in hits. Though Berkman has six home runs, Rasmus holds the team lead in total bases (38), standing second in the league only to Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

Rasmus said he is comfortable looking for an outside fastball and reacting to anything off speed or inside.

“Normally I would go up there thinking people are telling me I’ve got to go the other way. I’d be forcing the ball over there, popping up,” Rasmus said. “That took me away from what I’d normally try to do. Now I’m not trying to hit the fastball the other way but I might be looking for an outside fastball. That still allows me to pull something instead of yanking it foul.”

Rasmus admits the approach may occasionally leave him vulnerable to an inside fastball but the benefits are so far more significant.

“Sometimes I can get it; sometimes I can’t,” he said. “It just depends. Some guys are sneakier than others.” 

Cardinals face Kershaw without Berkman

LOS ANGELES – The St. Louis Cardinals will attempt to take down the National League’s pitcher of the moment tonight without the league’s hitter of the week. Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s influence on Tony La Russa’s lineup is obvious, as La Russa will give righthanded-hitting Allen Craig a start in right field over Lance Berkman.

Berkman smashed two home runs Friday night, giving him six during the team’s 5-3 road trip.

Tyler Greene will start at second base over Skip Schumaker while catcher Gerald Laird makes his second start in four games over Yadier Molina, who equaled a career high with four hits Friday.

At .500 for the first time this season, the 7-7 Cardinals have so far crushed the Dodgers by a cumulative 20-7 while outhitting them 35-18 in two games. A hot week has bumped the Cardinals from the National League’s lowest-scoring team to its most prolific attack with 78 runs, 235 total bases (the Colorado Rockies rank second with 196) and second with a .353 on-base percentage.  

La Russa leaves center fielder Colby Rasmus in the lineup to ride an eight-game hitting streak in which he is batting .436 with eight extra-base hits among a 17-hit barrage.

Kershaw (2-1, 1.37) ranks fourth in the league in ERA and third in strikeouts. The Cardinals counter with Kyle McClellan (1-0, 2.25), who is coming off his first win as a major-league starting pitcher.

Kershaw, 23, made his major-league debut on May 25, 2008 against the Cardinals. That day he became the fourth-youngest starting pitcher in Los Angeles Dodgers history. He has since developed into a more efficient talent projected by many as an eventual Cy Young Award contender.

The Rest:

Cardinals

SS Ryan Theriot

CF Colby Rasmus

1B Albert Pujols

LF Matt Holliday

3B David Freese

RF Allen Craig

C Gerald Laird

2B Tyler Greene

P Kyle McClellan

Dodgers

LF Tony Gwynn, Jr.

3B Casey Blake

RF Andre Ethier

CF Matt Kemp

SS Juan Uribe

1B James Loney

C Rod Barajas

2B Aaron Miles

P Clayton Kershaw

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LOS ANGELES – Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman each homered in consecutive at-bats and the St. Louis Cardinals sent the Los Angeles Dodgers to their fourth consecutive loss, 11-2 on Friday night.

The Cardinals’ offense continued unabated as they reached .500 for the first time this season, with five wins in their last six games. They battered the Dodgers’ staff for 19 hits a night after winning the series opener 9-5 and collecting 16 hits.

In their five games since Monday — three against Arizona — the Cardinals have hit 13 homers and scored 51 runs. They’ve had 14 or more hits in five consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 31-Sept. 7, 1930, when they did so in six straight.

The Cardinals’ offensive power extended to the bottom of their lineup, too. Yadier Molina had four hits — all singles — and starter Kyle Lohse singled, too.

Lohse (2-1) allowed two runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings. The right-hander struck out six, including Aaron Miles in the seventh for his 1,000th career strikeout, and walked one.

Jon Garland (0-1) struggled in his season debut, giving up nine hits and five runs in four-plus innings. The right-hander, who struck out two and walked none, came off the disabled list earlier in the day after straining his left oblique March 9.

Berkman homered into the lower right field seats on Garland’s first pitch of the second inning. David Freese scored from third base on a balk by Garland and Ryan Theriot hit an RBI single for a 3-0 lead.

Berkman homered again leading off the fourth for his second multihomer game since Monday.

Pujols hit a two-run shot in the fifth against Kenley Jansen that extended the Cardinals’ lead to 5-2 after Colby Rasmus chased Garland with a leadoff double. Pujols then led off the seventh with a homer to straightaway center field off Blake Hawksworth, making it 7-2.

The Dodgers scored both their runs in the fourth on Matt Kemp’s RBI single and a wild pitch by Lohse with two outs.

NOTES: Pujols had his 40th career multihomer game and first since last September. … Dodgers RF Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to 12 games with an infield single in the fourth. … Don Newcombe, a former teammate of Jackie Robinson on the Dodgers, threw out the first pitch to Kemp on the annual day baseball honored the player who broke the sport’s color barrier 64 years ago.

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Read More: Lance Berkman (RF – STL), Matt Holliday (LF – STL), Ryan Franklin (P – STL), Albert Pujols (1B – STL), Hiroki Kuroda (P – LOS), Jaime Garcia (P – STL), Colby Rasmus (CF – STL), Daniel Descalso (2B – STL), St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers

The St. Louis Cardinals’ offensive rally continued on the road Thursday night, and Albert Pujols finally got in on the action, hitting his second home run of the season as the Cardinals topped the Los Angeles Dodgers by a score of 9-5. Matt Holliday hit two doubles and Colby Rasmus tripled in the win, while those three combined with Lance Berkman to hit .421 and slug .789.

Pujols’s home run was a 364-foot shot, hit to conclude a nine pitch at-bat that began with Pujols down 0-2 and saw him take three consecutive balls then foul off three more before he pulled a Kuroda fastball into the Dodger Stadium seats.

Jaime Garcia picked up his second win in an uneven outing, allowing two earned runs in five innings while throwing 91 pitches. Hiroki Kuroda took his first loss of the season; he allowed 10 hits and five earned runs in his five innings of work. 

Notes: Daniel Descalso got the start at third base in place of David Freese, who would later hit a pinch single. He was 1-3 with an RBI. Matt Kemp homered in the ninth inning off Ryan Franklin, who continues to struggle after blowing three saves in his first four appearances; with the solo home run his ERA fell to 9.64 on the season. Mitchell Boggs, the top homegrown-closer candidate before Eduardo Sanchez’s electric debut, fired back with his own two innings Thursday, striking out three in two no-hit innings. 

There is the quick update of the day.

By Dan Moore – Managing Editor

Read More: Lance Berkman (RF – STL), Kyle Lohse (P – STL), Matt Holliday (LF – STL), Albert Pujols (1B – STL), Kyle McClellan (P – STL), Hiroki Kuroda (P – LOS), Jaime Garcia (P – STL), Colby Rasmus (CF – STL), St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers

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Apr 14, 2011 - The St. Louis Cardinals will see if their newly resurrected offense, with Lance Berkman at the center, can keep on the road from Phoenix to Los Angels Thursday night, when they begin a road series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. Jaime Garcia, who’s yet to be scored on in two starts, will take the ball for the Cardinals against Hiroki Kuroda, who fell a third of an inning short of his own shutout in his last start, against the San Diego Padres.

The Cardinals, for their part, have Matt Holliday back in the lineup following his appendectomy. Lance Berkman drove in 10 runs against the Diamondbacks after a brief slump, and Albert Pujols, who went 2-3 on Wednesday, appears to have come close to breaking out of his early-season slump. 

The Cardinals and Dodgers will play four games, wrapping up a road trip for the Cardinals that began in San Francisco. Kyle Lohse, Kyle McClellan, and Chris Carpenter will take the ball for the Cardinals over the three remaining games of the series.

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SAN FRANCISCO — The Los Angeles Dodgers optioned right-hander John Ely to Triple-A Albuquerque before Monday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park, a move that clears the way for veteran Jon Garland to be activated from the 15-day disabled list in time to start on Friday night against the St. Louis Cardinals.

For now, though, that roster spot will be held down by Jamie Hoffmann, who was recalled from Albuquerque and gives the Dodgers six outfielders on the active roster plus a seventh, Jay Gibbons, on the 15-day disabled list.

Ely’s demotion wasn’t surprising given that he didn’t pitch particularly well and struggled with his command in what was probably always going to be a one-time spot start anyway against the San Diego Padres on Sunday, the day he was recalled from Albuquerque. That was the same day Garland, despite his stated preference to come off the DL and make his season debut for the Dodgers, threw 81 pitches in a minor league rehabilitation start for advanced Class A Rancho Cucamonga at Inland Empire and felt no ill effects from the strained oblique muscle he suffered during spring training.

Garland allowed three runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings.

“I would have liked to have gotten more outs, but it’s baseball,” said Garland, who threw 10 additional pitches in the bullpen after leaving the game. “It feels exactly how it would if I had come here and pitched in a game. [Sunday] night, I was home packing and doing some laundry to come here, and I started getting that achy, tired feeling that you always get after a start. I thought, well, here it is.”

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly did confirm that Garland will start against the Cardinals on Friday night in Los Angeles.

Ely gave up four earned runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings against the Padres, taking the loss, and seemed to struggle with his command. Once noted for his ability to pound the strike zone, he fell behind in the count to several hitters early in the game and wound up walking three of them.

Hoffmann, who played in 14 games for the Dodgers in 2009, was hitting .455 (5-for-11) with a .538 on-base percentage in four games for Albuquerque this season. He would figure to be the most likely player to return to the minors when Garland is ready to be activated.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter.

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