CBSSports.com wire reports
April 17, 2011

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 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.

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

LOS ANGELES —

Even ace Clayton Kershaw couldn’t rescue the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers against St. Louis.

Kershaw labored through his shortest outing of the season in a 9-2 defeat Saturday night, getting into a pair of bases-loaded jams while receiving little run support in the Dodgers’ fifth straight loss.

The left-hander gave up a three-run homer to Allen Craig in the fifth and never got out of the inning.

“It was just one of those nights. I walked too many guys and threw away too many pitches,” he said. “I tried to battle my way through it, but the home run did us in. When you’re throwing tons of pitches and battling, you’ve really got to keep your team in the game.

“After that home run, a 5-1 lead is pretty tough to come back from, especially when they’re playing the way they are right now. They’re swinging the bats really well.”

It was the seventh straight game that the Cardinals scored six or more runs and the first time in six games that they didn’t put up at least 14 hits. They had 13, including five straight in the ninth off Ramon Troncoso, to win their third in a row over Los Angeles.

Kershaw (2-2) was chased after 4 2-3 innings. He gave up five runs and six hits, struck out a season-low five and walked a season-high five.

“It’s not pressure, but you definitely want to be the guy that can get your team out of it and stops the bleeding,” he said. “Unfortunately, I just kind of kept it going.”

While Kershaw struggled, so did the Los Angeles offense. Juan Uribe was hitless in four at-bats as the Dodgers lost their fifth in a row and sixth in seven games. They were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

The Cardinals have touched up Dodgers pitching through the first three games of the series, hitting .403 with six homers and 29 runs scored.

St. Louis won its fourth in a row and sixth in seven games.

Kyle McClellan (2-0) allowed one run and six hits in seven innings, struck out two and walked none to earn his second major league victory as a starter in six days.

Craig provided the Cardinals’ power a night after sluggers Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman each homered in consecutive at-bats. Pujols managed two singles in five at-bats and struck out twice, while Matt Holliday went 1 for 3 with two walks and an RBI.

“That guy’s got a great arm,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said about Kershaw. “Everybody went up there and fought off a lot of tough pitches. That’s the best at-bats you can have against a guy who’s got that much stuff.”

Kershaw got out of his first bases-loaded jam in the second by striking out the final two batters. In the third, however, he walked Holliday to load the bases again and David Freese’s sacrifice fly scored the Cardinals’ first run.

They took a 2-0 lead in the third on Ryan Theriot’s RBI double to deep left.

The Dodgers cut their deficit to 2-1 in the fourth. Andre Ethier, who went 3 for 4, singled to extend his major league-leading hitting streak to 13 games. He scored on James Loney’s grounder to first, as catcher Gerald Laird went up the third base line to take Pujols’ throw and missed the sweep tag.

In the fifth, Pujols singled and Holliday walked before Craig’s first homer of the season chased Kershaw and made it 5-1. It was the first homer Kershaw has allowed to any current St. Louis hitter.

NOTES: The Dodgers recalled Troncoso from Triple-A Albuquerque and placed LHP Hong-Chih Kuo on the 15-day disabled list with a left lower back strain, retroactive to April 14. “The good thing is it’s not an elbow or shoulder. We feel it’s muscular,” manager Don Mattingly said, adding that Kuo wouldn’t throw for a couple of days while undergoing tests. … Thirteen of Craig’s 24 career RBIs have come with two outs. … Dodgers pinch-hitter Ivan De Jesus Jr. singled in the seventh for his first major league hit. … The Cardinals won their 1,000th game all-time against the Dodgers on Friday night. … IndyCar driver Marco Andretti, in town for Sunday’s Long Beach Grand Prix, threw out the first pitch, sailing the ball over the head of former Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda, acting as catcher. Andretti got a second chance and Lasorda caught it with Andretti’s grandfather, Mario, looking on. … Dodgers GM Ned Colletti turned 56.

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.

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

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.