The script was all too familiar for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. No, not the bullpen squander a late lead, but the offense failing to produce.
The loss was the Dodgers’ second in a row and seventh in their past 10 games. Meanwhile, the Cardinals improved their MLB-best record during the month of August to 16-4.
Los Angeles was just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 overall. Until the seventh inning, only run scored came when a pitch grazed Yasiel Puig’s left hand with the bases loaded, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
They left the bases loaded after that sequence, and stranded runners at second and third after Yasmani Grandal led off the fourth with a walk and Chris Taylor doubled. Included in that was Brian Dozier pinch-hitting for Hyun-Jin Ryu, only to strike out.
Rookie Daniel Poncedeleon worked his way through traffic behind eight strikeouts in four innings. He exited with the Cardinals leading 3-1.
That was built on a two-out rally in the third inning in which Ryu lost his perfect game. He retired the first six batters faced before allowing a leadoff single to Harrison Bader in the third.
A force out and sacrifice bunt moved Kolten Wong into scoring position, and he was driven in on Jose Martinez’s line drive single that Ryu nearly managed to make a snow cone catch on. A game of inches not only allowed the Cardinals to pull even but led to Yadier Molina snapping an 0-for-17 drought with a go-ahead two-run home run.
St. Louis did more two-out damage in the top of the seventh when a hit by pitch was followed by Marcell Ozuna clubbing a two-run homer off Daniel Hudson. The insurance runs proved key as Manny Machado’s solo home run in the bottom half of the inning was of little consequence.
With their loss and the Arizona Diamondbacks coming away with a walk-off win, the Dodgers fell 3.5 games back of first place in the National League West. Additionally, Justin Turner’s 14-game hitting streak was snapped.
