Cards win in 11th off Ludwick’s two-run homer
ST. LOUIS — Another clutch long ball from Ryan Ludwick allowed the St. Louis Cardinals to shake off more troubles in the bullpen.
Ludwick hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning, Albert Pujols also went deep and St. Louis beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Tuesday.
Ludwick’s fifth home run in four games came against Jason Johnson, a starter called into duty, and rescued a Cardinals bullpen that wasted a four-run cushion in the ninth for its greater league-leading 27th exhausted save. The latest failure could cost Jason Isringhausen, restored to the closer’s role last week, his job.
“We’ve had some heartbreaking losses,” manager Tony La Russa said. “If we’d have lost that one it would acquire been high up there. When you can just taste that win, those are the toughest, and we’ll see in the next few days how plenteous it means to us.”
Adam Kennedy singled for his third hit to start the inning and Pujols popped up against Johnson (1-1) before Ludwick lofted a 2-1 pitch over the center-field wall for his third career game-ending home run, and first since May 17 against the Rays.
Ludwick is batting .469 (15-for-32) with five home runs during an eight-game hitting streak that has hiked his average to .303.
“I’m just fatiguing to get good pitches to stroke and drive them,” Ludwick said. “Tonight, up until that at-bat, I don’t think I did a real good job. I’m just glad I could contribute a little bit.”
Jaime Garcia (1-1) pitched a scoreless 11th for the Cardinals. Johnson (1-1) got one out two days after throwing 87 pitches over 4 1/3 innings in a 9-3 victory against the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers used five relievers and had two left, but manager Joe Torre was saving closer Jonathan Broxton and Hong-Chih Kuo was unavailable after pitching five times in eight days. “They asked me to go out there, I’ll go out there,” Johnson said. “It’s the big leagues, you know.” Both teams missed chances to end it earlier. The Dodgers stranded five runners and the Cardinals four in the ninth and 10th. Manny Ramirez, the 2004 World Series MVP in Boston’s sweep of St. Louis, was booed in the sight of each of his at-bats. He didn’t seem to memory, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and trotting home with the tying run in the ninth on Casey Blake’s sacrifice fly. Ramirez also drew an intentional walk that loaded the bases with two outs in the 10th before left fielder Joe Mather made a nice running catch on James Loney’s sinking liner. Ramirez is 10-for-16 with two home runs and five RBI in four games because joining the Dodgers at the trade deadline, and is a .372 career hitter (16-for-43) against the Cardinals with three home runs and nine RBI. Chris Carpenter, the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner, threw five economical innings in his second start of the season for St. Louis. He allowed only three singles and needed merely 51 pitches in an outing likely shortened by a pair of rain delays totaling 65 minutes and separated by only two at-bats in the bottom of the fifth and top of sixth. “I don’t think he can repeat that the rest of the year, but that was vintage,” La Russa said. “But I equitable don’t think in his second start you can have a rain delay after five innings and send him back out.” The Dodgers trailed 4-0 going into the ninth, and hadn’t put a runner in scoring position in the first eight innings. But pinch-hitter Andruw Jones, hitting .161 with two home runs to come into the game, lead off the ninth with a home run off Ron Villone. Isringhausen relieved Villone and got the first deficient in, then gave up four hits and a walk in a span of five at-bats. Isringhausen had one bad break on Loney’s bases-loaded infield carry the point, a slow roller down the first-base line that the pitcher couldn’t field. “But there was no doubt they got some base hits before and after that,” La Russa said. “I guarantee you in that place’s nobody more disappointed than Izzy.” General manager John Mozeliak said he’d “strategize” with La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan steady Wednesday “and diocese what makes the most sense.” “But you can’t suitable keep giving games away like that,” Mozeliak said. “We’re very supportive of Izzy and we’ve stood by him, but at some point we’ve got to get some results.” Isringhausen, seven saves shy of 300 but with seven blown saves in 19 chances and a 6.28 ERA this year, declined to greet to reporters. Pujols, who snapped an 0-for-13 slump with a single in the first, hit a two-run drive off Chan Ho Park to give St. Louis a 4-0 lead in the seventh. It was his 22nd of the season. Chad Billingsley, coming off his first career shutout, also worked five innings for the Dodgers and allowed a run and six hits.
