(TSX / STATS) — LOS ANGELES — Despite striking out in his initial four at-bats while playing his first game in more than a month, Logan Forsythe persevered.
“It’s a great feeling to help the club win, especially coming back off the (disabled list),” the Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman said.
Forsythe hit a walk-off double in the 13th inning, lifting the Dodgers to a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Yasmani Grandal homered for the Dodgers (27-19), who won for the fifth time in the past six contests. Josh Fields (1-0) retired the side in the 13th for the win.
Forsythe, who had been on the DL with a fractured toe and strained hamstring, doubled off former Dodgers reliever Jonathan Broxton (0-1), scoring Enrique Hernandez, who had walked.
“You try not to focus on the negatives during the game,” said Forsythe, who earned his second career walk-off hit and first since June 5, 2012, against the San Francisco Giants, when he was a member of the San Diego Padres.
“The swings didn’t feel too bad. Something was a tick off. Lance (Lynn, the St. Louis starter) has always kind of had my number when I’ve faced him before. But yeah, I was just trying to make adjustments, and I looked at some video, and I’m not a huge video guy, but seeing what I see and knowing what I feel at the plate, luckily that adjustment was made at some point in the game and it was able to help benefit the team.”
The Cardinals (22-20) saw their nine-game road winning streak end. Overall, St. Louis has dropped five of its past six games.
Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw and Lynn engaged in a classic pitchers’ duel although neither factor into the decision.
“This one was pretty special,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.
Kershaw fanned 10 in nine innings, walked none and allowed three hits on 104 pitches (69 strikes). Kershaw threw one wild pitch that resulted in the tying run for St. Louis in the ninth.
Randal Grichuk spoiled Kershaw’s shutout bid. He singled to open the ninth and advanced to second on a groundout by pinch hitter Tommy Pham. Grichuk scored from second on a Kershaw’s wild pitch that Grandal was unable to retrieve fast enough near the Dodgers’ dugout, forcing extra innings.
“That was a great play,” Matheny said. “(Grichuk) had to make that happen by wanting that to happen the first couple of steps (and) not being just satisfied with the one base.”
Said Kershaw, “Just unfortunate, there is no way to put it. The way it bounced and where it ended up and a guy gets two bases on a wild pitch, that’s no fun. But our guys kept grinding through it.”
Lynn struck out 10, walked two and yielded one run on two hits in eight innings. He threw a season-high 123 pitches, 76 strikes.
With two outs in the first inning, Lynn served up a 3-2 pitch to Grandal, who hammered it to center for a solo shot and a 1-0 Dodgers lead. It was Grandal’s fifth home run, four of them coming at home.
“He’s a guy (who’s) a good fastball hitter, and I challenged him and he won that at-bat, cost me a run. But I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Lynn, who recorded his ninth game with at least 10 strikeouts and his first since May 1, 2015, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson and right fielder Yasiel Puig collided when Puig tracked down a flyout by Yadier Molina in the top of the 10th inning. Both walked off the field under their own power, but Peterson departed the game with a neck strain.
Molina went 1-for-5 and extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
NOTES: To clear a roster spot for the return of INF Logan Forsythe, the Dodgers optioned RHP Josh Ravin to Triple-A Oklahoma City. … The Cardinals activated LHP Tyler Lyons and send down RHP Sam Tuivailala to Triple-A Memphis. … 1B Matt Carpenter is one walk shy of reaching 400 in his career. Carpenter is attempting to become the fastest Cardinal to reach 400 walks (758 games currently). The record is held by Albert Pujols, who drew his 400th walk in his 789th career game. … Cardinals RHP Mike Leake (4-2, 2.03 ERA) will oppose Dodgers LHP Rich Hill (1-1, 2.77) in the second game of the three-game series on Wednesday.
Photo credit – Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press / Los Angeles, CA
