Matt Kemp homer the difference as Dodgers top St. Louis
After the St. Louis Cardinals pushed two runs across in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game at 2-2, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp answered back, clubbing a solo home run that proved to be the difference as Los Angeles evened the National League Division Series at one game apiece with a 3-2 victory.
Reliever Pat Neshek, who allowed just four home runs in 67 1/3 innings of regular season work, served up the deciding blast, which was Kemp’s first extra-base hit of the series. The sidewinder right-hander delivered the 2-1 pitch, and Kemp crushed a no-doubt long ball that hooked around the left field foul pole, sending Dodger Stadium into a frenzy.
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Prior to the late innings, the team’s respective starters – Lance Lynn and Zack Greinke – matched each other blow-for-blow, giving fans the pitching matchup that many anticipated prior to Game 1 – which quickly turned into a battle of offenses. Greinke allowed just two hits, striking out seven in seven shutout innings, while his counterpart, Lynn, allowed two earned on seven hits in six innings of work – striking out eight.
In the bottom of the third, with runners on the corners and nobody out, Dee Gordon took a 2-2 pitch, chopping it to second base. Greinke, the runner on first, was caught in what appeared to be a force-out tag by second baseman Kolten Wong before the ball was delivered to first, beating Gordon by a half-step for the tail end of a double play.
However, after a review the force out of the Dodgers’ pitcher was overturned after it was discovered Wong tagged him with his glove with the ball in his other hand. This play came back to haunt the Cardinals as Adrian Gonzalez delivered a single later that inning that scored Greinke, giving Los Angeles a 2-0 lead.
St. Louis’ only offense came via a Matt Carpenter two-run home run in the eighth inning off Los Angeles reliever J.P. Howell – giving him two home runs six RBIs in the first two games of the series. He was the only Cardinals player to record multiple base hits in the loss.
Meanwhile, Kemp and Greinke each contributed a pair of base hits to the Los Angeles effort on a night where the home team went just 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.