Dodgers Power Past Cardinals To Take One Game Lead in NLDS

Dodgers Celebrate Game One Victory

Whew!  I was nervous about this game before it started, and Game One of the Dodgers-Cardinals series was far tenser than even I expected, and much more than the 5-3 final score indicated.  A couple of key moments that really stood out for me:

- The Dodgers holding the Cardinals back in the bottom of the first.  This game could have gotten really ugly, really fast.  Instead, Wolf held serve and left the inning down 1-0, keeping the crowd in the game.

- Matt Kemp powers a two-run blast in the bottom of the first inning after a Rafael Furcal single, giving the team the confidence the needed to show them their bats were back (especially after recent lackluster series against the Nationals and Pirates).

- Torre’s handling of Albert Pujols – clearly the best player in the game today.  The Dodgers also had a bit of luck on their side – at least twice during the game, Puujols was the last out of the inning, breaking up the one-two punch of him and Matt Holliday.

- Luck.  There was a shot byRyan Ludwick that if fair, would have been a grand slam in the fifth inning.  There was also another shot by the Cardinals down the left-field line in the fifth or sixth inning that landed just foul and easily could have cleared the bases.

- The dominance of the Dodgers bullpen.  After what can best be described as a shaky start by Wolf, the bullpen delivered as advertised with great performances by Weaver, Belisario, Kuo, Sherrill and Big Brox.

But what made the game so tense was all of the baserunners.  In all, LA and St. Louis stranded a combined 30 baserunners (a new MLB record), including 13 in scoring position for the Dodgers and 10 for the Cardinals.  As I mentioned to Orel from the Sons of Steve Garvey during the game, whichever team looses this game is really going to feel like one got away. 

But this is why I LOVE playoff baseball.  Every pitch means the world to two clubs and their fans.  One false move, and the momentum swings in a different direction.  You could literally see the swagger and sparke in the eyes of the Dodgers as the game went on.  Game One was exactly the reason why home field advantage was so critical for the Dodgers, and hopefully they can keep it going in Game Two today!

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill