Friday, November 14, 2008

Cards sweep Bums to get back in race

In a series where the teams battled back and forth, the 2002 Cardinals managed to come away with four straight victories over the 1985 Dodgers. It was the first time this Cardinal team showed some life, and actually played the way manager Bicycle Mike thought they would play coming in to the season.

The Cards came in to the series at 7-13, having lost three of four to the Atlanta Braves. It looked like another long four days for the beleaguered club when the Dodgers put four runs on the board in the 6th inning of the opener, to build a 5-1 lead at Chavez Ravine. But the visitors climbed off the deck, chipping away at the Dodger lead with a run in the seventh and two in the 8th. With Fernando Valenzuela laboring, Edgar Renteria greeted him with a line single to start the ninth. In keeping Edgar close to the bag, Fernando then balked him to second, and lost Albert Pujols to a base on balls. But he recovered to strike out lefty swinging Jim Edmonds, a common occurrence this season for the disappointing center fielder who is still looking for his first home run.

With righty swinging Scott Rolen at the dish, Valenzuela was pulled for the big right hander Tom Neidenfuer. Big Tom came in a took card of Rolen on strikes, but JD Drew, pinch hitting for Eli Marrero, singled to right plating Renteria with the tying run. Another pinch hitter, Tino Martinez, struck out. So despite striking out the side in the 9th, the Dodgers gave up the tying run.

Gene Schechschulte retired the Dodgers in the ninth. Jay Howell came on for LA. After Mike Matheny lead of the 10th with yet another strike out, pinch hitter Kerry Robinson drew a walk, then promptly stole second and scooted to third on Mike Scioscia's errant throw. Another Fernando, Vina this time, managed to launch a fly ball to fairly deep right, deep enough to score Robinson with the run that brought the Cardinals all the way back. Rick White and Jason Isringhausen finished up as the Cardinals earned a hard fought come back win, 6-5.

Game two was another extra inning affair, with the Cardinals eventually prevailing 4-1, exploding for three runs in the 11th inning off of Orel Hershiser.

Game three was the only one sided score, however the game was close until St. Louis exploded for six runs in the bottom of the eighth. Tino Martinez' grand slam was the big blow.

Game four was similar to the first game, with the Dodgers opening a big lead, but St. Louis chipping back and eventually tying the score. LA built an early 6-2 lead off of starter Chuck Finley with two in the second and four more in the third. Finley exited early, pitching only three innings. The Cardinal bullpen was terrific, with four hurlers allowing only one more Dodger run through the final six frames. Meanwhile the offense went to work like they did in game one, putting two on the board in the bottom of third on back to back homers by Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen, one in the fourth, and two more in the fifth to take a 7-6 lead,

After the Dodgers tied it in the seventh on singles by Ken Landreuax and Greg Brock, and a sac fly off the bat of Pedro Guererro, the Cardinals went right back in front on a Mike DeFelice single and Fernando Vina triple.

Jason Isringhausen came on to secure the win, although the Dodgers had the tying run at third when Izzy got Steve Sax to pop up to end the series.

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