Matt Kemp's HR in 8th evens series with Cardinals
LOS ANGELES– Breaking down Game 2 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium:
Box score: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2; Series tied, 1-1.
It was Matt Kemp's home run that won the game in the eighth inning, but it was Zack Greinke who set up the heroics. He overpowered the Cardinals by pitching seven shutout innings, and not permitting a hit until the sixth inning. He gave up just two hits and struck out seven in his 103-pitch performance.
The only trouble was that he didn't go nine innings, and the Dodgers' bullpen blew it again, this time with Matt Carpenter hitting a two-run homer off J.P. Howell. Carpenter has turned this series into a one-man show. He had only two homers in his last 255 plate appearances entering the playoffs, but now has two homers and two doubles in his last eight plate appearances this series.
Yet, Carpenter's heroics were forgotten when Kemp went deep off Cardinals reliever Pat Neshek, perhaps saving the Dodgers' season.
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State of the series: The Cardinals believe they have the Dodgers just where they want him, not only getting a split in Los Angeles, but getting Kershaw and Greinke out of the way. The Dodgers now will be going with Hyun-Jin Ryu in Game 3, who has not pitched in a game since Sept. 12, sidelined with a sore shoulder. And Dan Haren , 13-11, 4.02 ERA, is scheduled for Game 4, but he hasn't pitched in a postseason game since 2006. The Cardinals like their chances in both games with John Lackey (14-10) in Game 3 and Shelby Miller (10-9) in Game 4. The Dodgers could come back with Kershaw in Game 4, but of course, he has given up 15 runs in his last two postseason starts against the Cardinals.
Game 2 pivot point: Kemp saved the Dodgers' season from a premature ending with his eight-inning, game-winning homer. Kemp, who led the major leagues with nine home runs and had 25 RBI in September, led off the inning with a towering home run into the left-field seats off Neshek. It saved the Dodgers' from a second consecutive disastrous collapse, after their bullpen blew a 2-0 lead in the top of the eighth inning.
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Man of the moment: Greinke may not have gotten the victory, but he certainly did it all. On the mound. At the plate. And on the base paths. He actually produced as many hits himself as the entire Cardinals' team by the time he left. He has gone 8-for-19 in his last nine starts. The only time he was really in trouble was in the sixth inning when the Cardinals had runners on first and second with two outs. Greinke had just walked Matt Adams on five pitches, but then came right back and stuck out Jhonny Peralta, ending the threat.
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Needing a mulligan: Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong. He was the one who was picked off first base that ended Game 4 of last year's World Series against the Boston Red Sox. This time, he commits a defensive blunder that costs the Cardinals an out in the third inning, that leads to a run, which turns out to be the difference in the game.
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What you missed on TV: The Dodgers' fans, needing someone to pick up their spirits after their disheartening Game 1 loss, found just the man to it. All 7-foot-2 of him. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers' legend and Hall of Famer, announced the Dodgers' starting lineup, and the crowd went crazy with every name called.
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Gambling managers: Dodgers manager Don Mattingly pulled Greinke in the eighth inning when Cardinals manager Mike Matheny summoned rookie pinch-hitter Oscar Taveras. Greinke had thrown just 103 pitches, but Mattingly opted for left-handed reliever J.P. Howell. It took four pitches for the decision to blow up in Mattingly's face. Taveras lined a single down the right-field line, and once again, there was Matt Carpenter delivering the heroics with a two-run homer on an 89-mph sinker. It was the first homer Howell gave up to a left-handed hitter in 104 plate appearances.
GALLERY: NLDS - DODGERS vs. CARDINALS