Mattie T’s NLDS Recap: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Written by The Go-To-Man Mattie T. on October 11, 2009
Game 1:
Matt Kemp’s key 1st inning two-run homer off Chris Carpenter proved to be the difference, as the Dodgers won 5-3 over the Cardinals.
Carpenter was not sharp at all, as he threw 105 pitches in just 5 innings of work & allowed more walks (4) than strikeouts (3).
Randy Wolf wasn’t very effective either (82 pitches through 3 2/3 innings), but the Dodger bullpen combined to allow just 1 run over the final 5 1/3 innings of the game.
Rafael Furcal did an outstanding job batting leadoff for Los Angeles, as the shortstop went 3-4 with an RBI sacrifice fly.
Game 2:
With the Cardinals just 1 out away from coming back home tied 1-1, Matt Holliday made one of the biggest postseason blunders ever.
Holliday’s diving attempt at a James Loney fly ball in left field hit him in the stomach, as Loney advanced to 2nd base on the play & kept the inning alive.
Casey Blake then drew a walk before Ronnie Belliard tied it with an RBI single to center.
Russell Martin walked to load the bases, as Mark Loretta ended an 0-for-15 slump against St. Louis closer Ryan Franklin with a game-winning RBI single, which gave Los Angeles a stunning 3-2 win.
Adam Wainwright wound up with a no-decision after pitching 8 stellar innings after allowing just 1 run on 3 hits while walking one & striking out seven.
Game 3:
Vicente Padilla made sure that the Cardinals had no chance of getting back into the series, as the 12 year veteran threw 7 shutout innings to key the Dodgers’ series-clinching 5-1 win.
The middle of Los Angeles’ batting order came up big, as Manny Ramirez & Andre Ethier combined to go 6-for-10 with 1 home run & 4 runs batted in.
Congratulations to Joe Torre & the Dodgers, as they will advance to the National League Championship Series in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 31 years.
The feat was last done in 1977-78 under Tommy Lasorda, as the Dodgers ironically beat the Phillies in 4 games in the NLCS in both seasons before losing to the Yankees in six during the World Series.
For Tony La Russa’s Cardinals, it’s the first time since 1928 (Lost in 4 games to the Yankees during the World Series) that they have participated in the postseason without coming away with a single win.
Los Angeles will now advance to play either Colorado or Philadelphia in the National League Championship Series.
2009 © BMS Radio Chicago All Rights Reserved. The written content is property of this site. All team and league information, sports logos, photos, and names contained within this site are property of their respective organizations.
