ST . LOUIS — Clayton Kershaw dug the hole. Now he must keep the Dodgers from being buried.
The Cardinals beat up on Los Angeles’ terrible bullpen again Monday night to come away with a 3-1 victory at Busch Stadium and a 2-1 lead in the NLDS.
Facing elimination on Tuesday at Busch, manager Don Mattingly will go to his ace of aces, on three days rest to try to extend the season to a fifth and deciding game.It will not be easy.
The Cardinals have a way. They seem to show up every postseason.
Second baseman Kolten Wong blasted the first pitch to him by left-handed reliever Scott Elbert into the bullpen for a two-run home run in the seventh that snapped a 1-1 tie and sent the largest crowd ever at Busch, 47,574, into a towel-waving frenzy.
Wong was picked off to end Game 4 of the World Series last October and has been waiting a year for redemption.
“The pickoff last year crushed me through the offseason,’’ Wong admitted. “But I know it made me stronger as a person and a player. Once you go through something like that, everything else is a walk in the park.’’
In each of the first three games, Mattingly has gone to his bullpen and the first reliever called upon has given up a home run.
Matt Carpenter, who has been crushing Dodgers’ pitching all series, homered for St. Louis’ first run in the third. The Cardinals were dead last in the NL in home runs with 105 and 29th in the majors, but the home runs have carried them in this postseason.
The Royals were last with 95. Interesting. As legendary broadcaster Vin Scully said, “The dog that doesn’t bite, bites.’’
Carpenter has three home runs in the three games, and Matt Holliday’s three-run blast off reliever Pedro Baez in Game 1 proved to be the difference.
Meanwhile, Dodger star Yasiel Puig has struck out eight of his last nine at-bats.
Mattingly can’t count on his bullpen and he couldn’t count on Kershaw in Game 1.
For all their $250 million payroll, the Dodgers are staring at extinction. Now it comes down to Kershaw on three day’s rest. If the Dodgers win Tuesday, they will send the series back to Los Angeles and a Game 5 start for Zack Greinke, who was spectacular in the Game 2, 3-2 Dodgers win.
Kershaw can’t wait to avenge his terrible start in Game 1.
“I’m definitely ready for it and definitely wanted to do it,’’ Kershaw said.
He gave away a 6-1 lead in the 10-9 Game 1 loss.
“It’s definitely not easy to swallow, especially when we had such a big lead and we should be up 2-0 right now and all that stuff, ‘’ Kershaw said before this loss. In his last two postseason starts to the Cardinals, Kershaw has been hammered.
In Game 6 here last October, Kershaw started and went only four innings, allowing 10 hits and seven runs. Over his last two postseason starts against the Cardinals, Kershaw has surrendered 18 hits and 15 runs in 10²/₃ innings.
The heat is on like never before for Kershaw, who was 21-3 in the regular season with a 1.77 ERA.
“There’s always something to prove,’’ Kershaw said. “This game is very humbling. People don’t care about what you’ve done in the past. It’s ‘What have you done for me lately.’ People turn on you really fast and I know that.’’
Asked if he has looked at the disastrous seventh inning from Game 1 Kershaw said, “Not at all.’’
What did he learn from that start? “Nothing I didn’t know already.’’
He pitched on short rest in the postseason last October. “I did it last year and felt okay about it. But this year is a different year,’’ he said.
Essentially, the moment the Dodgers lost Game 1 the decision was made to come back with Kershaw in Game 4. It was the only way to go.
The Golden Left Arm must be gold Tuesday night.