LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts both went deep, the Dodgers led for almost the entire night, and somehow none of it held up. St. Louis erased three separate leads, chased down a shaky bullpen in extra innings, and walked out of Dodger Stadium with an 8-6 win in 10. The Dodgers had chances everywhere and could not cash in, going 1 for 18 with runners in scoring position in a game that never should have needed extras.
Freeman Cashes In Early
Shohei Ohtani worked a leadoff walk in the first and Tommy Edman got plunked to put two on before Freddie Freeman turned on one and sent it out to center, a three-run homer, his 16th of the year, that had the Dodgers up 3-0 before St. Louis had recorded a hit. Miguel Rojas followed with a double and Kyle Tucker walked to load the bases right back up, but Teoscar Hernández lined out and Max Muncy’s walk couldn’t push another run across. It was the first sign of a theme that would define the whole night.
A Three-Run Cushion Turns Into a Tug of War
Thomas Saggese cut it to 3-2 with a two-run homer in the sixth, and it looked like the Cardinals had finally found their footing against Yamamoto. Betts answered two batters into the bottom half, driving a two-run shot to left center that made it 5-2 and reminded everyone why the Dodgers had felt in control all night. St. Louis wasn’t done. Leo Bernal’s homer in the seventh cut it right back down to 5-4, and by the time that inning ended it was clear this one was going to come down to whoever blinked first with runners on.
The Missed Chances Add Up
This is where the game actually got away from the Dodgers. Los Angeles put runners in scoring position over and over and could not deliver, finishing 1 for 18 in those spots. Rojas, Tucker and Muncy all reached in the first without adding to the lead. Betts and Freeman were both stranded in the fourth. Teoscar Hernández and Hunter Feduccia singled with two outs in the seventh and stayed right where they were. Teoscar’s ground-rule double in the ninth put the winning run in scoring position, and it died there too. A team that led for most of nine innings kept handing the Cardinals a way back in simply by not finishing the job.
Extras Belong to St. Louis
Tanner Scott blew the save in the eighth, letting Alec Burleson’s sacrifice fly tie it at five, and Jack Dreyer held it there through a scoreless ninth. It fell apart in the 10th. Nathan Church and Thomas Saggese both singled off Brock Stewart to put the Cardinals back in front, and pinch hitter Joshua Báez followed with a two-run double that made it 8-5 before Los Angeles could get an out. Will Smith, back in the lineup after Monday’s game, scored on a Tommy Edman groundout in the bottom of the 10th to make it respectable, but St. Louis closed it out from there. Yamamoto’s seven strong innings and eight strikeouts, and everything the Dodgers built over the first six frames, went to waste on a night defined by what they left on the bases.
Up Next
The series finale is Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, with Tarik Skubal on the mound for Los Angeles opposite Quinn Matthews for St. Louis. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PST as the Dodgers try to salvage a series they controlled for most of two games.