Cardinals Vs. Dodgers: Matt Kemp’s Walkoff Home Run Decisive
For eight innings, the Los Angeles fans witnessed a fantastic pitching duel, as starters Chris Carpenter and Chad Billingsley matched zeroes in the line score for seven innings. Carpenter exited after the seventh, having allowed only five hits and no walks. Billingsley lasted eight innings, giving up only two hits while striking out 11 Cardinals. Reliever Mitchell Boggs pitched a perfect eighth for St. Louis, leaving the game still scoreless.
The Cardinals finally broke the logjam in the ninth, against Jonathan Broxton. Colby Rasmus led off and struck out -- for the third time in the game -- and Albert Pujols followed with a line-out. But Matt Holliday doubled, and after Lance Berkman was intentionally walked, David Freese drove home Holliday with a single to right field. Broxton did retire Yadier Molina to end the inning, but the Cardinals had the 1-0 lead.
Most managers would automatically turn to their closer to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Not Tony La Russa. Not Sunday afternoon, anyway. With left-handed-hitting Andre Ethier due to lead off, La Russa called on 38-year-old lefty reliever Trever Miller.
Ethier lined Miller’s first pitch into the right-field corner for a double.
Matt Kemp, who bats right-handed, was next, and La Russa summoned closer Ryan Franklin from the bullpen.
Some managers might have intentionally walked Kemp, the Dodgers' best hitter so far this season. Particularly considering the Dodgers' next three hitters: Juan Uribe, James Loney and Rod Barajas, all of whom sported sub-.200 batting averages.
La Russa eschewed the intentional walk -- and there’s definitely something to be said for not putting the potential winning run on base -- but the non-move backfired when Franklin’s 2-2 fastball caught too much of the plate, and Kemp drove it beyond the center-field fence to win the game.
After which Vin Scully intoned, “They pitched to the one guy who could beat them, and he does.”
For more on the Cardinals and Dodgers, please check out team blogs Viva El Birdos and True Blue LA.
