The St. Louis Cardinals opened their West Coast trip in emphatic fashion Tuesday night, unleashing an offensive barrage against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. St. Louis repeatedly punished Dodgers pitching with home runs, timely hits and aggressive baserunning, eventually securing a 13-8 victory in a game that featured plenty of offense from both sides.
The Cardinals built a huge early advantage and appeared to be in complete control for much of the night. However, Los Angeles repeatedly threatened to make things interesting, particularly in the late innings, forcing St. Louis to rely on its bullpen to protect what had once been a comfortable lead.
Cardinals Strike First With Back-to-Back Home Runs
St. Louis wasted little time announcing its intentions.
In the top of the second inning, Ramón Urías and Thomas Saggese delivered consecutive home runs, immediately putting the Cardinals ahead 2-0.
The back-to-back blasts gave St. Louis early momentum and established the tone for an offensive performance that would continue throughout the evening.
Saggese, in particular, was one of the stars of the game. The young infielder would eventually hit two home runs and drive in several runs as the Cardinals’ lineup continued to produce against Los Angeles pitching.
Six-Run Third Inning Gives St. Louis Commanding Lead
The Cardinals then turned a 2-0 advantage into a seven-run cushion with a huge third inning.
José Fermín opened the frame with a single to left field before stealing second base. He later came around to score when Iván Herrera lined a single into center field, extending the Cardinals’ lead to 3-0.
St. Louis continued applying pressure.
Jordan Walker followed with another single, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. After Alec Burleson recorded an out, Joshua Báez was hit by a pitch on his elbow guard, loading the bases.
That brought up Leo Bernal, who was making his Major League debut.
Bernal immediately made an impact.
The young catcher lined a two-run single into left-center field, bringing both Herrera and Walker home and pushing the Cardinals’ advantage to 5-0.
Saggese then added a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Báez to score and making it 6-0.
The inning still wasn’t finished.
Nathan Church reached on an infield single, and Bernal raced home to score another run. The Cardinals ultimately ended the top half of the third with a commanding 7-0 lead.
For a team beginning a road trip against one of baseball’s most dangerous lineups, the Cardinals could hardly have asked for a better start.
Dodgers Take Advantage of Defensive Miscommunication
Los Angeles responded in the bottom of the third and managed to score three runs, but the Cardinals helped them considerably.
With the bases loaded, Mookie Betts lifted a fly ball toward right field that appeared to be an ordinary pop-up and potentially the final out of the inning.
Instead, a communication breakdown between Fermín and Walker resulted in the two Cardinals nearly colliding while attempting to make the catch.
The ball dropped away, allowing all three runners to score.
What had been a seven-run St. Louis advantage suddenly became 7-3.
The play gave the Dodgers life and provided a reminder that even a dominant offensive performance can quickly become complicated when defensive mistakes enter the equation.
Jordan Walker Answers With a Huge Home Run
The Cardinals immediately responded in the fourth.
Herrera began the inning by drawing a walk, and Walker stepped to the plate with an opportunity to extend the lead.
He delivered in spectacular fashion.
Walker crushed a 97-mph fastball and sent it approximately 409 feet into the center-field seats for a two-run home run.
The blast restored the Cardinals’ momentum and pushed their lead back to 9-3.
Walker was one of several St. Louis hitters who consistently found ways to produce against Dodgers pitching.
Saggese Hits His Second Home Run
Saggese continued his outstanding night in the fifth inning.
The Cardinals’ infielder connected with a 91-mph four-seam fastball and launched it over the right-field wall at Dodger Stadium.
It was Saggese’s second home run of the night and gave St. Louis a 10-3 advantage.
His two-homer performance became one of the major highlights of the Cardinals’ offensive explosion.
Dodgers Cut Into the Lead Again
Los Angeles refused to go quietly.
In the bottom of the fifth, Teoscar Hernández opened the inning with a single. After Alex Freeland reached on a fielder’s choice, Shohei Ohtani followed with a single to center field.
Two batters later, Betts delivered another important hit, ripping a double down the left-field line.
The hit brought Freeland home and trimmed the Cardinals’ lead to 10-4.
Despite the Dodgers’ attempt to mount another comeback, St. Louis managed to prevent further damage and carried its six-run advantage into the later innings.
McGreevy Provides Solid Starting Pitching
While the Cardinals’ offense received most of the attention, Michael McGreevy quietly turned in a respectable outing.
The right-hander worked five innings, allowing five hits and four earned runs while striking out four and walking two.
His final numbers were hardly dominant, but McGreevy gave St. Louis enough innings to keep the team in control.
He also deserved some sympathy for the three runs that scored in the third inning after the defensive miscommunication in right field. Had the Cardinals converted the seemingly routine fly ball, McGreevy likely would have escaped that inning without surrendering the additional runs.
Nevertheless, he kept the powerful Dodgers lineup from producing a truly devastating offensive night and handed the game over to the bullpen with St. Louis comfortably ahead.
Cardinals Survive a Scare in the Sixth
Luis Gastelum took over for McGreevy in the sixth inning and immediately found himself facing pressure.
The Dodgers eventually put runners at first and third with only one out, creating a potentially dangerous situation.
St. Louis, however, made two excellent defensive plays to escape.
Urías made an impressive play at third base, catching a sharply hit line drive for the second out. Church then completed the inning by making the final catch with his back against the center-field wall.
The defensive work prevented Los Angeles from turning another scoring opportunity into a major rally.
Joshua Báez Adds Another Home Run
By the seventh inning, the Cardinals were back to doing what they had done most of the night: hitting the baseball hard.
Joshua Báez stepped to the plate and crushed a 96-mph four-seam fastball.
The ball traveled roughly 404 feet, landing in the left-center-field seats for a solo home run.
The blast extended St. Louis’ advantage to 11-4 and gave the Cardinals yet another long ball on a night when their power was on full display.
Dodgers Try to Rally Against the Bullpen
The Cardinals’ bullpen then began facing serious pressure.
Justin Bruihl entered in the bottom of the seventh but immediately encountered trouble.
He hit Ohtani with a pitch, putting a runner on base. Bruihl then walked Betts, leaving the Dodgers with two runners aboard and only one out.
Cardinals manager Oli Marmol quickly turned to Ryan Fernández.
Fernández struck out Rushing to record an important out, but the Dodgers responded again.
Will Smith singled, allowing Ohtani to score and cutting the Cardinals’ lead to 11-5.
Fernández eventually escaped the inning when Kyle Tucker flew out, preventing the Dodgers from producing an even larger rally.
St. Louis Takes Advantage of Dodgers Mistakes
The Cardinals added two more runs in the eighth inning, although Los Angeles contributed heavily to the damage.
Saggese began the inning by drawing a walk.
Church then hit a weak ground ball toward the left side of the infield. The Dodgers’ throw sailed well past first base, allowing the Cardinals to take advantage of the defensive error.
A subsequent wild pitch allowed Saggese to score, extending the St. Louis advantage to 12-5.
Fermín then added another run with a sacrifice fly to left field, bringing Church home and making the score 13-5.
At that point, the Cardinals appeared to have the game comfortably under control.
Dodgers Nearly Turn the Ninth Into a Disaster
The Cardinals’ biggest scare came in the bottom of the ninth.
With the game seemingly decided, Cade Winquest was given the task of recording the final three outs.
Instead, the Dodgers immediately created trouble.
Enrique Hernández led off with a single to right field, and Betts followed with a walk.
Then another defensive mistake by St. Louis loaded the bases with nobody out.
The Dodgers put another ball into play, and although St. Louis recorded a force out at second base, the throw to first was off target, allowing Los Angeles to score.
The Cardinals’ lead was suddenly 13-6.
Tucker then came to the plate looking to extend the rally. He had been hitless throughout the game but could not deliver, flying out to left field.
The sacrifice fly nevertheless allowed another Dodgers run to score, bringing the score to 13-7.
Former Cardinal Tommy Edman followed with a single to right field, scoring another run and suddenly making the Cardinals’ once-commanding lead look much less comfortable at 13-8.
Finally, Teoscar Hernández recorded the final out, ending the comeback attempt and allowing St. Louis to escape with the victory.
Cardinals’ Offense Was the Difference
The final score reflected just how productive the Cardinals’ lineup was.
St. Louis scored 13 runs, hit multiple home runs and consistently produced with runners on base.
Saggese was among the biggest offensive contributors, hitting two home runs. Walker and Báez also supplied important long balls, while Bernal made an immediate impression in his Major League debut with a two-run single.
The Cardinals also received contributions throughout the lineup from players such as Herrera, Fermín, Church and others.
The offensive production was particularly impressive considering the opponent. The Dodgers entered the game with a deep and dangerous lineup, yet St. Louis established control early and repeatedly responded whenever Los Angeles threatened.
Defensive Mistakes Kept the Dodgers Alive
Although the Cardinals dominated offensively, their defensive performance was less consistent.
The third-inning miscommunication between Fermín and Walker allowed three runs to score on what should have been a routine fly ball.
Later, an errant throw in the eighth inning helped the Cardinals’ opponents’ cause, while another poor throw in the ninth contributed to the Dodgers’ late rally.
Those mistakes did not change the final result, but they prevented what could have been a much more comfortable victory.
The Cardinals will likely want to clean up those defensive issues as the West Coast trip continues, particularly because games against high-level opponents can turn quickly when extra outs and bases are given away.
St. Louis Wins the Series Opener
Despite the late drama, the Cardinals accomplished their primary objective: they opened their Los Angeles series with a victory.
The 13-8 win gave St. Louis an impressive start to its West Coast trip and demonstrated the potential of its offense when the lineup is producing from top to bottom.
The victory was also notable because of the contributions from younger players, particularly Bernal and Báez, while Saggese’s two-home-run performance provided the power.
Dodgers Prepare for Game Two
The two teams are scheduled to meet again Wednesday night for the second game of the series.
The Dodgers are expected to send Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound, while the Cardinals had not yet announced their starting pitcher at the time of the report.
First pitch is scheduled for 9:10 p.m. Central Time, with coverage available through Cardinals.TV.
After surrendering 13 runs in the opener, Los Angeles will look to its pitching staff to slow down a Cardinals lineup that arrived in California with plenty of offensive firepower.
For St. Louis, the challenge will be maintaining that offensive momentum while eliminating the defensive mistakes that allowed the Dodgers to make the game much closer than it needed to be.
The Cardinals may have left Dodger Stadium with a victory, but the final three innings demonstrated that the series is far from settled.
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