Five long balls from the St. Louis Cardinals absolutely demolished the Los Angeles Dodgers last night, who fell 13-8 in a brutal blowout at Dodger Stadium. The Cards didn’t just win, they outhomered the Dodgers five to zip, controlling the game right from the jump and making everyone wonder what happened.
Lauer’s Woes Set the Tone Early
Dodgers pitcher Eric Lauer, #33, delivered a start that honestly makes you question why he was such a hot commodity in the first place. He got absolutely shelled at home, first giving up a couple of long balls, then dealing with a massive rally fueled by singles, walks, and a hit-by-pitch. The bottom of the Cardinals’ order went to work early, with Ramón Urías and Thomas Saggese just teeing off on fastballs in the middle to upper part of the zone. They went back-to-back in the second inning, leaving the yard like it was nothing. What’s wild is Saggese, who wasn’t known for his pop, crushed his second homer of the game later on, tripling his total for the entire season before this game. Urías’s shot was only his fourth of the season. Those were just solo shots, leaving the Dodgers down 2-0, but it all unravelled for Lauer in the third. Six of the first seven Cardinals hitters reached safely, and Nathan Church eventually drove in the Cards’ seventh run on an infield single before Lauer got the hook after just three dreadful innings of work. The score sat at a dismal 7-0.
A Faint Hope Dims Quickly
A seven-run hole is a mountain, but with six innings to go, the Dodgers still had some time. For a moment, it looked like they might claw their way back in. Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman drew back-to-back walks with two outs, loading the bases for Mookie Betts. Betts then cleared the bags on a fly ball to right that should have been caught, but the Cardinals’ defense completely misplayed it. Three runs on the board for the Dodgers, but only two hits through three frames? You had to feel frustrated by the lack of real thump. The Cardinals weren’t about to let the Dodgers gain any real momentum, quickly scoring two of their own in the very next inning to make it 10-3. Jordan Walker even took Alex Vesia deep in the fourth for a two-run shot. Betts was the only Dodger who showed up big individually, delivering a proper two-out RBI double in the fifth. But then Max Muncy was retired right after him, stranding a pair and keeping the home side in a deep hole.
What a brutal night for the Dodgers. They’ve got to find a way to shake this off and bounce back hard. That kind of outing from Lauer, coupled with a total lack of power, just won’t cut it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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