Thursday’s Game Report: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2
By Rob Rains
The Cardinals have had what seems like more than their share of frustrating losses this season but they added another one to the list on Thursday night.
They carried a 2-1 lead into the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium but Riley O’Brien could not close out the win, which would have completed a sweep of the three-game series in Los Angeles.
Former Cardinal Tommy Edman singled with one out, his fourth hit of the game, and stole second and following a walk to Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez doubled to drive in both runners and give the Dodgers the walk-off win.
It’s the fourth walk-off loss suffered by the Cardinals in their last 16 games and their eighth of the season.
The Cardinals had scored their runs off Tarik Skubal in the first and third innings but failed to add to their lead despite getting 10 hits and a walk off Skubal in 5 2/3 innings.
Here is how Thursday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Jose Fermin led off the game with a single, went to third on a single by Ivan Herrera and scored on a single by Joshua Baez … They increased the lead to 2-0 in the third when they again bunched three singles. Herrera led off the inning with his second hit and with two outs Leo Bernal and Ramon Urias singled to bring in the run … They were just 2-of-9 with a runner in scoring position, left nine runners on base, had one runner thrown out trying to steal second and had another picked off first base … Baez had a hit and at least one RBI in all three games of the series.
On the mound: Quinn Mathews allowed just four hits over his five innings, walking four and striking out four. The only run he gave up scored on a wild pitch … Cole Winquest and Ryne Stanek protected the one-run lead with a scoreless inning each … George Soriano also worked a scoreless inning but only after he walked the bases loaded in the eighth before getting out of the jam … O’Brien wasn’t as fortunate in the ninth as he suffered his seventh loss and sixth blown save of the season.
Key stat: The game-winning hit by Hernandez was the only hit by the Dodgers in nine at-bats with a runner in scoring position, following their 1-of-18 night on Wednesday night with a runner on second or third. In the three games they were a combined 6-of-41 in those situations.
Worth noting: Righthander Hunter Dobbins underwent his second Tommy John surgery on Wednesday and likely will miss most if not all of next season. Dobbins had to come out of his last start in Philadelphia after throwing one pitch in the fifth inning because of pain in his elbow. Dobbins, who also missed part of last season when he was with the Red Sox because of a torn ACL, had been expected to be in the competition for a spot in the starting rotation for next season … The Cardinals were trying to complete their first three-game series sweep at Los Angeles since 2018 … Three of the four hits allowed by Mathews came from Edman, a fellow Stanford graduate … Bernal got the start at first base.
Up next: The three-city road trip will continue on Friday night with the first of three games against the Rockies in Colorado. The Cardinals have not announced a starter for that game but it is expected to be Andre Pallante returning from the injured list.
Follow Rob Rains on X @RobRains
