Cardinals Bomb Lowly Dodgers 7-0

Tonight’s game and subsequent series is basically a mismatch between the Dodgers and Cardinals. The Dodgers are home to start a five game home stand entrenched in last place. While the Cardinals have the best record in the National league (31-16) and are in first place in the NL Central.

Don Mattingly has survived the road-trip and remains as skipper, for now at least. Even though the Dodgers won two of three from Milwaukee, they still lost four of six on the trip.

The Cardinals are clearly a legitimate championship caliber team with a premier lineup, and a solid pitching staff. The inequalities and disparities between the two teams were obvious and telling that it came as no surprise that the result was a blowout.

The Cardinals defeated the Dodgers 7-0 in front of a large crown on a calm Friday evening at Chavez Ravine. The Cardinals who have a real productive lineup attacked starter Chris Capuano early, tagging him for one run in the second, two in the third, and then two more in the sixth, to finally knock him out of the game. Capuano wasn’t terrible, but otherwise ineffective. The left hander threw five innings plus of mediocre baseball. Allowing six runs, (five of them earned), and two home runs, with three walks, and four whiffs.

Cappy sucked tonight, what else is new?-Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinals slugged two home runs, and first baseman Allen Craig was the heavy bopper, driving in three of the six runs on a two-run double in the top of the third, and a solo home run in the fifth. David Freese went 2 for 3 and drove in the other three runs with a run-scoring double in the second, and a two-run home run into the Dodger bullpen in the sixth.

Once the Dodgers are knocked down, they do not get back up. Except for A.J. Ellis apparently, who was knocked down in the top of the third on a scary collision at the plate with Jon Jay. Jay was scoring on a David Freese double. A.J. lay unresponsive on the floor for several minutes before finally getting up and staying in the game. Down early the bats went quietly into the night against opposing starter Lance Lynn. The 26 year old right hander shut down the Dodgers on only two hits through six dominant frames. Lynn walked just one, and whiffed nine Dodgers. The Dodgers did nothing offensively save for a first inning bloop single from Carl Crawford, a third inning double from Juan Uribe, and a meaningless infield single from Schumaker in the bottom of the eighth. Lynn retired 11 of the last 12 Dodgers he faced.

The Dodgers big wigs were at the game tonight, to witness the losery first hand. It’s good for Magic, Walter, and Kasten to see the suckfest up close and personal. They need to suffer with the rest of the fans.

Lance Lynn dominated the Dodgers tonight-Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The lowlights played out like this…..

Top of the first. Capuano retires the Cardinals in order. Oddly this was the only good inning for him all night. Matt Carpenter grounds out. Carlos Beltran flies out to deep right. Matt Holliday grounds out. No first inning scorage is always nice. Too bad this would not last long. Bottom of the first. Carl Crawford bloop single to center. Mark Ellis whiffs. Crawford is thrown out trying to steal. Never run on Yadier Molina. Adrian Gonzalez pops out.

The Cardinals start the scoring in the top of the second. Allen Craig grounds out. Yadier Molina grounds out. Jon Jay reaches on a fielding error. Jay’s grounder forced Gonzo to come off the bag and his throw is behind Capuano as he runs to cover the bag. Gonzalez is charged with a throwing error. David Freese doubles off the left field wall. Jon Jay scores . Jay collides with AJ at home plate, and scores on the play. His knock was clean to be honest, a shoulder but which knocks out AJ for several minutes. Dodger Stadium held their collective breaths as A.J. lay on the ground unresponsive. Finally AJ got up and recovered, and even stayed in the game. I think an injury to AJ would be too much for us to bear at this point in this nightmare of a season. Freese gets to third because Punto’s throw which preceded the collision at the plate was way off line. Pete Kozma walks. but Lance Lynn whiffs to end the inning.

The Cards add two more in the top of the third. Carpenter singles. Beltran walks. Holliday’s deep fly ball to right allows Carpenter to tag up to third. Craig doubles to left, Carpenter, and Beltran score. That makes it 3-0 Cardinals. Molina walks. Jay pops out. Freese whiffs.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis (17) is looked at by team trainer Sue Falsone after a collision with St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay (19) in the second inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay (19) scores a run after colliding with Los Angeles Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis (17) in the second inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Allen Craig’s solo home run to left makes it a 4-0 game. In the Top of the sixth the Cardinals knock Capuano out of the game. Jay singles. Freese homers into the Dodger bullpen. That extends the lead to 6-0. Capuano is lifted and Matt Guerrier enters the game.

Guerrier coughed up a run in the seventh on two walks, a hit batter, and a Yadier Molina sacrifice fly. That made it a 7-0 game, the game was well over long before. Actually the game was over as soon as the Dodgers took the field.

Old friend Randy Choate came in to relief Lynn in the seventh, and pitched a scoreless frame. The Cardinal bullpen tossed three innings of scoreless ball.

This was another pathetic performance from a pathetic team. The Dodgers are clearly inferior to competitive teams like the Cardinals and Braves. The Dodgers are only able to beat teams that are equally as bad or worse than they are. The Cardinals and Braves are not the Marlins and Brewers. I can’t take anymore of this losing. They just give up once they are down. The Dodgers looked uninterested and lethargic tonight.

The Cardinsals hit .343 with Runners in scoring position-Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Dodgers are now 19-27 on the season and remain in last place in the NL West. There appears to be no end in sight to this season long suckfest. Some of these games are torturous to watch. Anyways, sorry guys. I apologize that we have to watch such lousy Baseball. Try to enjoy the rest of your Friday evening. We will return tomorrow, as the Dodgers will try to even the series. Rookie John Gast will go to the mound for the RedBirds, as the Dodgers will counter with veteran Ted Lilly. Remember tomorrow’s game is a 4:15 start time on Fox. Tune in at that time, and pop over here for our pre and post game coverage. I don’t know what else to say at the moment. They suck. That’s all. Have a good night guys.