Cards hope Mikolas can right ship against Dodgers
The St. Louis Cardinals cooled off the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series opener.
The Cardinals will attempt to silence the Los Angeles bats again on Tuesday when the teams meet for the second contest of a four-game set in St. Louis.
The Dodgers scored 10 or more runs in four of their first 10 games but managed a season-low five hits and didn't homer for the first time all season in Monday's 4-3 defeat. The result halted a five-game winning streak and dropped Los Angeles to 8-3.
The club that has bashed 24 homers saw the Cardinals score the decisive run on a wild pitch. Paul Goldschmidt scampered home from third on Joe Kelly's errant toss in the sixth inning.
"We know offense gets magnified," St. Louis manager Mike Shildt told reporters afterward. "We also know defense and base-running wins games. We're going to be present and always perform our task when ready. That's what Paul Goldschmidt does."
Los Angeles didn't trail for 42 innings until the Cardinals moved ahead with two runs in the sixth inning.
St. Louis has won two straight games to improve to 5-5 and now looks to move above .500 for the first time this season.
"We expect to be over .500 always," Shildt said. "It's important we get to that mark and move forward."
Helping the cause Monday was that the Cardinals kept torrid-hitting Cody Bellinger in the yard. Bellinger raised his major league-leading RBI count to 19 with a fielder's choice but was 0-for-2 with two walks.
Bellinger also leads the majors with seven homers and is batting a robust .435.
Ross Stripling will start for the Dodgers on Tuesday against fellow right-hander Dakota Hudson of the Cardinals.
Stripling has a 2.31 ERA after two no-decisions. He pitched 5 1/3 innings of three-hit shutout ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his first outing but served up two homers in his second start while giving up three runs and six hits over 6 1/3 innings against the San Francisco Giants last Wednesday.
The 29-year-old Stripling is 1-2 with a 5.02 ERA in five appearances (two starts) against St. Louis. Goldschmidt is 6-for-15 with one homer and two doubles against Stripling.
Hudson (0-1, 5.40) is making his second career start. The first came on March 30 against the Milwaukee Brewers when he was racked for three homers in 4 1/3 innings while allowing four runs (three earned) and seven hits. He struck out six and walked two.
He recorded a save in his only other appearance this season, getting the final two outs of a 5-4, 10-inning victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates last Wednesday.
Left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu started the series opener for the Dodgers but departed after 1 2/3 innings due to a strained left groin. Roberts told reporters afterward that Ryu will be placed on the 10-day injured list.
Ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw is slated to make his second rehab start for Double-A Tulsa on Tuesday. The three-time Cy Young winner is dealing with shoulder inflammation.
Roberts said there were discussions about changing the plan and scrapping Kershaw's rehab outing due to Ryu's injury, but the club decided to stick with it.
"That was in play but right now, the long view, what makes the most sense for our ballclub, for Clayton, we're going to stay the course and have him make that rehab start in Tulsa," Roberts said.
--Field Level Media
