The Sports Xchange
May 25, 2017
LOS ANGELES -- Mike Leake allowed four hits over eight innings and Yadier Molina homered, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Molina, who went 1-for-5, extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a solo blast off reliever Sergio Romo in the seventh inning as the Cardinals (23-20) won for the second time in their past seven games. It was the fourth homer for Molina this season.
Leake (5-2) gave up a run with five strikeouts and no walks in eight innings. He threw 98 pitches, 60 for strikes. Reliever Tyler Lyons pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.
Kolten Wong drove in two runs for the Cardinals.
Cody Bellinger's sacrifice fly drove in Corey Seager, who doubled to open the seventh, for the Dodgers (27-20).
Dodgers starter Rich Hill (1-2) had an awful outing, walking seven and yielding five runs on four hits in four-plus innings. He threw 82 pitches (40 strikes). Hill struck out four.
Hill issued walks to Jedd Gyorko, Aledmys Diaz and Randal Grichuk to load the bases with one out in the second. Wong lined a two-run single to left-center, scoring Gyorko and Diaz, for a 2-0 St. Louis lead.
Hill walked Leake to load the bases again in the inning, but retired Dexter Fowler on a fly out to second and fanned Stephen Piscotty to get out of the jam.
In the fifth, the Cardinals added three more runs. After Piscotty walked and Carpenter reached on a bunt, Gyorko singled to left. The ball rolled past Bellinger, allowing Piscotty and Carpenter to come home for a 4-0 advantage.
Molina's sacrifice fly plated Gyorko for a 5-0 edge.
NOTES: Dodgers CF Joc Pederson, who sustained a neck strain after a collision with RF Yasiel Puig on Tuesday, was held out of the lineup. Although Pederson passed concussion tests after Tuesday's game, manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday the medical staff was still monitoring Pederson. ... 1B Matt Carpenter became the fastest Cardinal to reach 400 walks (759 games) by reaching in the third inning off LHP Rich Hill. That topped former Cardinal Albert Pujol's mark in 789 contests. ... Dodgers OF Andrew Toles, who underwent surgery to repair his right ACL on Tuesday, turned 25 on Wednesday. ... Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (2-1, 2.74 ERA) will oppose Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (3-2, 5.03) in Thursday's series finale Thursday.