Editorials

Pederson’s Home Run Streak Snapped, Dodgers Lose Another To Cardinals

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

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Pederson came even closer to extending his home run streak with a two-out double that hit off the left field fence. With a man in scoring position Grandal got under a pitch and flied out to deep center. Frias had another easy inning in the fourth as Yadier Molina, Jon Jay and Wacha were retired in order.



Meanwhile Wacha continued to sail through the game, fooling Gonzalez to strike him out, and retiring Turner and Ethier to keep the Cardinals ahead 2-0 after four innings. Wong drew a leadoff walk in the fifth and Carpenter followed with a line-drive double by a diving Kiké Hernandez at second base.

Holliday’s sacrifice fly extended the Cardinals’ lead to 3-0 and moved Carpenter to third. Frias intentionally walked Peralta to set up a double play, but the opportunity never came. After Reynolds hit a tapper back to the mound, Heyward lined a two-run single to right and was caught in a rundown to end the inning.

Jimmy Rollins reached on a base hit to center and Hernandez’s single put runners on the corners with one out. With a weary Dodgers bullpen to manage, Don Mattingly allowed Frias to bat for himself. The pitcher laid down a sac-bunt to advance Hernandez, however Wacha caught Pederson looking for strike three on a borderline pitch to end the inning.

Jay hit a one-out single in the top of the sixth and was moved into scoring position by Wacha’s sac-bunt. That would be the furthest he got as Frias then got Wong to ground out. Still trailing 5-0, the Dodgers had a mini rally going with back-to-back singles from Gonzalez and Turner with one out in the bottom of the sixth.

Ethier followed with a grounder in the hole that Peralta managed to get his glove on, but the ball still rolled into shallow left field for another Dodgers base hit. While Gonzalez likely could’ve scored, third base coach Lorenzo Bundy threw up the stop sign.

Alex Guerrero worked a full count with the bases loaded and flied out to the warning track in center. Although it wasn’t the grand slam he hit in Colorado, a run scored and the Dodgers trailed 5-1 through six innings.

Daniel Coulombe came on as part of a double switch with two on and two outs in the seventh. Alberto Callaspo took over at third base, which moved Turner to second and shifted Hernandez to shortstop; Rollins was removed along with Frias.

A wild pitch allowed Reynolds to move into scoring position before Coulombe struck out Heyward looking to end the inning. Wacha retired the Dodgers in order in the seventh, capped off by effectively ending Pederson’s home run streak by getting the rookie center fielder to ground out.

Randal Grichuk pinch-hit for Wacha in the eighth and benefitted from Gurrero’s subpar defense as he badly misjudged a ball that resulted in a double for Grichuk and left two on with one out. Wong dropped a two-run double between Guerrero and Pederson in left-center field and the Cardinals lead grew to 7-1 before Coulombe managed to get out of the inning.

Kevin Siegrest took over in the eighth and allowed nothing more than a one-out double to Gonzalez in a scoreless inning of relief. Coulombe kept the Cardinals off the board again in the ninth, but it wouldn’t make a difference as the Dodgers failed to spark a comeback, losing 7-1.

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2015 Sports Spectacular — Chester Pitts

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