May 23, 2017
Logan Forsythe delivered a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the 13th inning, as the Dodgers outlasted the Cardinals 2-1 on Tuesday night at Chavez Ravine.
With two outs in the 13th, Kike Hernandez walked, setting the stage for Forsythe. The Dodger 2nd baseman drove a 1-1 pitch into the right field corner, which bounced off the wall, allowing Hernandez to come all the way around to score the winning run from 1st base.
The game was a great duel between Clayton Kershaw and Cardinals’ starter Lance Lynn, resulting in a 1-1 draw between both sides after 9 innings. Neither pitcher received a decision.
Kershaw pitched 9 innings, giving up just 1 run on 3 hits. However, he took a 1-0 lead into the 9th inning when Randal Grichuk lead-off with a single to center. Grichuk advanced to second on a groundout from Tommy Pham, then scored on a wild pitch that Kershaw uncorked. That was Kershaw’s only blemish in an otherwise brilliant performance.
The Dodgers’ ace threw 104 pitches. He didn’t walk anybody and struck out 10. It was the 53rd time that he has struck out 10 or more batters in a game.
The Dodgers’ only other run of the game came on a solo homer from Yasmani Grandal in the 1st inning. That was one of only two hits that Lynn would allow on the night. It just so happened that one of them went 418 feet.
Grandal has at least one extra-base hit in 10 of his last 13 games. In one of those 3 games without, he had 1 at-bat as a pinch-hitter. The homer was his 5th of the season.
Lynn was equally as brilliant as Kershaw. The Cardinals’ ace went 8 innings, giving up just the 1 run on 2 hits. He struck out 10 Dodgers and walked 2, while making 123 pitches.
With Kenley Jansen pitching the 10th inning, he retired the side in order, however, a scary moment occurred on the final out of the inning. Yadier Molina hit a fly ball to deep right, which was chased down by both Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson. Puig caught the ball but collided with Pederson, who took an elbow to the head. Pederson also slid into the wall, cutting his forehead and then leaving the game after that. He was replaced by Kike Hernandez. Puig stayed in the game, despite grimacing and grabbing his side after the collision.
Forsythe’s heroics came on the night he returned to the lineup for the boys in blue after missing the last 30 games with a toe injury. He started at 3rd in place of the injured Justin Turner, who was out of the lineup with a hamstring injury. Forsythe batted lead-off and struck out 4 times and walked once before coming through in the 13th. Yasiel Puig also returned to the lineup and started in right field after sitting out for two games with a back injury. He was hitless in five at-bats.
Game 2 of the series will be on Wednesday night at the Ravine. Rich Hill (1-1; 2.77 ERA) goes to the mound for LA, while Mike Leake (4-2; 2.03 ERA) gets the call for the Cardinals.