Cards Routed 14-3 in Finale with Dodgers

The Cardinals wrapped up their series in LA on Wednesday with Carlos Martinez starting against the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler. There’s no getting around the fact that Martinez was flat-out bad in the first inning, earning ten of the Dodgers’ eleven first-inning runs before getting pulled for Jake Woodford. The bullpen gave up an additional three runs after the first inning in a game that, thankfully, still only counts as one loss. The implosion of Martinez was particularly painful as the Cards’ offense was able to tag Buehler with three earned runs, and it would have been interesting to see how this game played out had it been within reach after the first inning.

1st Inning

Tommy Edman led off the game with a lineout to center on a 1-2 fastball. Dylan Carlson went down on three pitches swinging through a fastball. Paul Goldschmidt launched an 0-1 fastball over the center field wall, putting the Cardinals ahead 1-0. Nolan Arenado flew out to center on another fastball to end the top of the inning.

Mookie Betts doubled on an 0-1 cutter to start the bottom of the frame. Max Muncy walked on five pitches as Martinez got squeezed low in the zone. Justin Turner singled on a ground ball to left field. Tyler O’Neill’s throw home was on point, but Knizner couldn’t field the throw and the other runners advanced to second on third as the Dodgers tied the game at 1-1. Cody Bellinger followed with a 2-RBI single to right, giving the Dodgers a 3-1 lead, still with no outs. Chris Taylor walked on four pitches to put runners on first and second. Gavin Lux doubled off the center field wall and Edmundo Sosa air-mailed the throw behind the plate, allowing Turner to score and the runners to advance to second and third again on the error by Sosa.

Now with a 4-1 lead, Zach McKinstry lined a 2-2 changeup back through the middle, knocking in two more runs to extend LA’s lead to 6-1. The 2-1 pitch to Austin Barnes went wild, moving McKinstry to second. Barnes walked, and Martinez had at that point thrown 29 pitches at that point without recording an out. Buehler struck out attempting to get a bunt down for the long-awaited first out of the inning. Betts, hitting for the second time in the frame, ripped another RBI single to left field, bringing the score to 7-1. Muncy swung at a first-pitch cutter and flew it to left for the second out. Martinez issued his fourth walk of the inning to Turner and that ended his outing after only recording two outs. Jake Woodford replaced Martinez and was welcomed with a grand slam by Bellinger (giving him six RBIs on the inning) as the Dodgers continued to pile on 11-1.

Chris Taylor lined a 1-0 sinker to short for the final out of an inning in which LA put up eleven runs on seven hits and four walks.

2nd Inning

O’Neill opened the second with a base hit off the glove of Lux at shortstop. Sosa walked on four pitches to put two on with no outs. Knizner struck out waving at a fastball off the outside corner for the first out. Justin Williams chopped a first-pitch sinker to second for the second out, advancing the runners to second and third. Woodford struck out swinging at an 0-2 fastball to end the Cards’ half of the second.

Lux grounded out to second on a first-pitch curveball to start the second inning. McKinstry flew out to center on a 1-2 curveball for the second out. Barnes worked a full count and missed a slider to send the game to the third.

3rd Inning

Edman went down swinging on four pitches, chasing a pitch that tailed way outside of the zone. Carlson dropped a base hit into right field on a 3-1 sinker. Goldschmidt went down looking at a 1-2 slider that caught the zone. Arendado worked a nine-pitch at-bat and dropped a flare down the right field line to score Carlson and make it 11-2. O’Neill then got under a 1-2 fastball and flew out to center for the last out.

Matt Carpenter replaced Goldschmidt at first and Jose Rondon replaced Arenado at third in the bottom of the third. Buehler walked to lead off the bottom of the frame. Betts grounded into a fielder’s choice on a 2-0 sinker for the first out. Muncy followed suit with another fielder’s choice for out number two. Turner popped an 0-2 slider to first to end the inning.

4th Inning

Sosa grounded a 1-2 slider to second for the first out. Knizner was called out on a 2-2 fastball and Williams grounded into the shift to put the Cards down in order.

Tyler Webb replaced Woodford in the bottom of the fourth and got Bellinger to fly out loudly to left field. Taylor singled to left off a 3-2 fastball. Lux followed with a five-pitch walk. McKinstry worked the count full and walked on a fastball in the dirt. Barnes struck out swinging, but Buehler laced a ball just inside the first baseline, scoring two more to extend the lead again to 13-2 on a two-out double.

Betts singled to right, scoring another run to make it 14-2. Muncy grounded into the shift for the final out.

5th Inning

Webb went down swinging to lead off the fifth. Edman jumped on a first-pitch fastball and grounded it to third for out number two. Carlson pulled a 2-2 fastball just inside the right field foul pole for a solo shot to make it 14-3. Carpenter flew out to the warning track in left-center for the final out.

Seth Elledge relieved Webb and got Yoshi Tsutsugo, who replaced Turner in the Dodgers lineup, to pop out to third for the first out. Bellinger struck out staring at a fastball down the pipe. Taylor walked on five pitches and Lux struck out swinging to end the frame.

6th Inning

Rondon popped an 0-2 slider to second for the first out. Lane Thomas pinch hit for O’Neill and went down looking at another slider. Sosa dropped yet another slider into shallow left-center for a two-out hit. Knizner singled and Sosa took third as Matt Beaty lazily fielded the ball in right field. Williams received an intentional walk to load the bases, bringing up Elledge with the bases loaded. Elledge fell behind 0-2 and grounded out to short for the final out.

McKinstry and Barnes flew out to left to begin the sixth. Buehler struck out swinging through a 2-2 sinker to send the game to the seventh.

7th Inning

Edwin Uceta got the call to pitch the seventh for LA. Edman popped out to third to start the frame and Carlson went down waving at a changeup. Carpenter flew out to center for a quiet top half of the inning.

Junior Fernandez replaced Elledge in the seventh and sat Beaty down with a slider in the dirt. Muncy popped out to short on a first-pitch changeup. Tsutsugo and Bellinger drew back-to-back walks to extend the inning to Taylor who flew out to right for the last out.

8th Inning

Rondon grounded out to short to open the eighth and Thomas popped out to first. Sosa reached on an infield hit to Will Smith who was put in to play third. Uceta then balked Sosa over on a weird pickoff attempt. Knizner popped out to second to retire the Cardinals.

Lux reached on a fielding error by Edman and McKinstry grounded out softly to first. Barnes grounded out back to the pitcher for the second out and Uceta went down swinging to send the game to the final frame.

9th Inning

Alex Vesia got the call to close the game for the Dodgers and struck out the side, getting Williams, Fernandez, and Edman all swinging.

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The Cardinals drop to 31-25 after the rout as the Dodgers improve to 33-23. The Redbirds kick off a four-game set at home against the Reds on Thursday. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:15 CT, with Adam Wainwright facing off against Vladimir Gutierrez.

Final Pitching Lines

Cardinals

Martinez (L, 3-5): 0.2 IP / 7 H / 10 R / 10 ER / 4 BB / 1 K / 0 HR

Woodford: 2.1 IP / 1 H / 1 R / 1 ER / 1 BB / 1 K / 1 HR

Webb: 1 IP / 3 H / 3 R / 3 ER / 2 BB / 1 K / 0 HR

Elledge: 2 IP / 0 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 1 BB / 3 K / 0 HR

Fernandez: 2 IP / 0 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 2 BB / 2 K / 0 HR

Dodgers

Buehler (W, 4-0): 6 IP / 7 H / 3 R / 3 ER / 2 BB / 8 K / 2 HR

Uceta: 2 IP / 0 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 0 BB / 1 K / 0 HR

Vesia: 1 IP / 0 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 0 BB / 3 K / 0 HR