Anemic St. Louis Cardinals Swept Easily By L.A. Dodgers

The St. Louis Cardinals made the playoffs in large part because of their pitching, but also boasted a tremendous offense. The lineup was highlighted by Albert Pujols, the presumptive winner of the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award.

Pujols hit .327 with 47 homers and 135 RBI, but the Cardinals' lineup also boasted Matt Holliday, their midseason acquisition who hit .313 with 24 homers and 109 RBI, as well as Ryan Ludwick and his .265/22/97 line. Tony LaRussa’s club also had some talented light hitters, such as Skip Shumacker, who led off and hit .303 with four homers and 35 RBI, and catcher Yadier Molina, who hit .293 on the season.

The Cardinals, backed by this offense and their stellar pitching, finished strong. The Dodgers, their opponent in the National League Division Series, struggled down the stretch, losing seven of their final 10 regular season games. St. Louis boasted a solid one-two punch atop their rotation, as Adam Wainwright won 19 games and Chris Carpenter compiled 17 victories. The Dodgers had one pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, and that’s it. Even he would be making his first postseason start.

A lot was against the Dodgers, but thanks in large part to their extremely hot start to the season, they managed to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, meaning the first two games of this opening series would be played at Chaves Ravine.

They had to face Carpenter and Wainwright, so even with the home crowd behind them, they would need a minor miracle to chink the Cardinals' armor, let alone defeat them.

St. Louis scored the first run of the first game, but they could have had more, as a double play ended the inning and squandered a bases-loaded, one-out situation. Still, if Carpenter was on his game, that may have been enough. He wasn’t, however, as he quickly gave up the early lead by allowing a two-run homer to Matt Kemp, the Dodgers' second hitter.

Los Angeles added one more in the third, and another in fifth, Carpenter’s final inning. Overall, they tagged the Cy Young contender for four runs on nine hits, in addition to five walks. It was a surprisingly ineffective outing that no one, not even the Dodgers, expected.

The Cardinals succumbed 5-3, and now had to win Wainwright’s start. If they couldn’t, they would be sent to the brink. Wainwright knew the weight of St. Louis was on his shoulders, and promptly gave his team what they desperately need—a dominating start.

He was given a run of support in the second inning on a homer by Holliday, and another in the seventh. Again, they should have had more, as their inability to do the fundamentals and make smart decisions continued to prove costly. Rookie outfielder Colby Rasmus doubled in Mark Derosa from first for that second run, but got too greedy trying stretch that double into a triple.

He was gunned out after making the unacceptable decision. It was a play that drives coaches mad. He was already in scoring position, and the Cardinals could have simply manufactured a run without a hit. There was no reason to go for third. As it was, another opportunity missed.

But his gaffe wouldn’t be remembered. It would be a play in the bottom of the ninth inning that would give the Cardinals and their fans nightmares.

Trying to hold a one-run lead, Trevor Miller, who had a tremendous season setting up closer Ryan Franklin, came in to face Andre Ethier and retired him. He handed the ball to LaRussa, walked off the mound, then watched Franklin, who had 38 saves and a 1.92 ERA during the season, trot in from the bullpen. Miller got the first out. It was Franklin’s job to get the final two and send the series back to St. Louis tied.

He retired the ever-dangerous Manny Ramirez for the inning’s second out. Nobody was on, and Los Angeles was down to their final out. Surely Franklin would take care of business, as he’s done all season long, right?

It was dusk in Los Angeles, bringing the stadium’s lights into play. It’s possible that they affected Holliday in the ninth, though he wouldn’t make excuses. James Loney worked the count even at 2-2 before lining a Franklin fastball the opposite field, Holliday’s way.

At 6′4″, 235 pounds, the man has huge strides. Trying to judge the ball off the bat, he ran in quickly. Because of his long strides, he couldn’t adjust easily. He was committed. Problem was, as admitted after the game, he couldn’t see the ball. Was it sinking or would it hang up?

For this reason, he was in between. He tried to make a basket catch at his midsection. The ball snuck up on him and eluded his glove, instead hitting his unmentionables. He staggered to the ball that lay harmlessly in the outfield grass before him, picked it up, and lobbed it to shortstop Brendan Ryan.

A runner was now is scoring position, but Holliday didn’t look particularly dejected. Franklin would make his misplay harmless, right? All the closer needed was one out.

Holliday’s error certainly affected Franklin on the mound. Casey Blake won a long battle, prolonging the game with an eleven-pitch walk. Ronnie Belliard lined a hanging curve into center field, tying the contest, making Holliday feel like the goat, and ruining a perfectly good Wainwright outing. Franklin continued to unravel, as he missed with four straight to Russell Martin. Mark Lorretta was announced as the pinch-hitter for reliever George Sherrill, grabbed a bat, and heard the crowd roar as he wlked to the plate.

Loretta, a steady .295 hitter in his 13-year professional career, hit .232 in a part-time role in this his first season with the Dodgers. The batting average is misleading, as he has excelled in the most pivotal situation, with men on base. When a runner is on first, he’s batting only .239, But when runners are in scoring position, that average increases nearly 60 points.

The 38-year old, who has reached the postseason only one other time—in 2006, his final of three years with the San Diego Padres—was making his first appearance of the series, and made the most of it. Like Belliard, he didn’t waste much time etching his name in Dodgers lore, scorching the second pitch into center field.

He pumped his fist down the first base line as Blake sprinted home. Holliday, Franklin, and the rest of the Cardinals somberly walked off the field as the Dodgers dugout emptied and surrounded home plate.

Los Angeles might not have beaten both Carpenter and Wainwright, but they won both games. Now, they headed to St. Louis with all the momentum, ready to tee off on Game Three starter Joel Piniero.

They jumped on the 14-game winner quickly on a two-out RBI double by Manny Ramirez in the first, then gave way to their starting pitcher, Vicente Padilla.

On Aug. 7th, Padilla was designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers after going 8-6 with a 4.92 ERA. He, who has won 14-plus games four times in his career and didn’t want this to be the end. He knew, despite his high ERA over the years and declining effectiveness, that he had something left and could contribute, especially to a contender.

The Dodgers gave him that chance, signing him to a minor league contract for the minimum salary. He took it without consideration, knowing if he pitched the way he was capable, he could help Los Angeles down the stretch and possibly make their postseason roster.

He made seven starts and won four of them without losing, while putting up his best ERA, 3.20, since his 2002 campaign with the Philadelphia Phillies. With uncertainty in the Dodgers rotation, as the injury bug hit both Hiroki Kuroda and Chad Billingsley, Padilla was named their third starter for the playoffs. Now, he was taking the mound for the first postseason start of his 10-year career with an opportunity to end the Cardinals' season.

With runners on first and second in the bottom of the first, Holliday strode to the plate and received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd. They had forgiven him, understanding the pain he must have felt committing such a costly error. Now, they badly wanted him to redeem himself—but he couldn’t, tapping a soft grounder back to Padilla.

Padilla induced a lot of those awkward swings throughout his outing. He allowed two hits over the next six innings, while his offense plated four more runs. All in all, seven shutout innings, one of his best starts of the season.

The combination of Sherrill and Jonathan Broxton closed the door on the Cardinals, giving Padilla a most memorable victory.

The L.A. Times didn’t pick the Dodgers to win this series. ESPN’s Tim Kurkijian picked the Cardinals to make the World Series. Joe Torre’s Dodgers proved them and may others wrong, sweeping a team they were given little chance to defeat even once.