SB Nation St. Louis - Dodgers Vs. Cardinals : St. Louis Wins 7-4

Dodgers Vs. Cardinals Final Score: St. Louis Takes Final Game Of Series, 7-4

2012-07-26T21:17:16Z

Matt Carpenter and David Freese picked up three hits apiece, Jake Westbrook pitched seven innings and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 at Busch Stadium on Thursday afternoon.

Related: checking in on the bullpen

St. Louis took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning thanks to RBI singles from Carpenter and Tony Cruz, but the Dodgers came back with four in the fifth. The Cardinals scored four runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth, giving them a lead they would never relinquish.

Westbrook allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking one. The Dodgers' Chris Capuano did not make it through the fifth inning and finished the day having allowed six runs on 11 hits.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit St. Louis Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos and Dodgers blog True Blue LA. And for more from around baseball, check out MLB Daily Dish and Baseball Nation.

Hanley Ramirez Triples In Excellent (Losing) Los Angeles Dodgers Debut

2012-07-26T13:49:12Z

Hanley Ramirez—starting at third base, for now, a day after being acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers from the Miami Marlins' newest fire sale—took a loss in his first game with the Dodgers, but on a personal level the game has to be considered a success for the once and, according to SI.com, probably future shortstop: Ramirez went 2-4 with a triple, the kind of night that's necessary to rehabilitate the reputation of a star who just got treated to a salary dump before he turned 30.

The St. Louis Cardinals, with help from 2002 alum Jamey Wright and their own shortstop, Rafael Furcal, beat the Dodgers anyway. But this is the kind of move that could resonate for the rest of the season, and the early returns, at least, show that Hanley Ramirez could still be the player who competed for MVP awards back when they were called the Florida Marlins.

For more updates on the Cardinals-Dodgers series, which carries postseason implications for both teams, stay tuned to our storystream, where we'll only be a little sad that the Cardinals weren't able to put a package together for Hanley Ramirez.

Dodgers Vs. Cardinals Preview: St. Louis Tries To Snatch Series Win On Thursday

2012-07-26T13:18:11Z

The St. Louis Cardinals are riding a two-game winning streak after their exciting extra-innings victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night, and they can claim a series on Thursday by knocking off the Dodgers in the finale of their four-game set. Jake Westbrook (8-8, 3.60 ERA) gets the start for the Cardinals, while Los Angeles turns to revitalized lefty, Chris Capuano (10-5, 2.81 ERA). Westrbook is coming off a brilliant start against the Chicago Cubs on July 21, where he did not allow an earned run over seven innings of work.

Here is the TV schedule and game time information for Thursday:

Game Date & Time: Thursday, July 26, 12:45 p.m. CT

TV: MLB Network, FOX Sports Midwest

Dodgers Vs. Cardinals Final Score: Rafael Furcal Gives St. Louis Victory In 12th Inning

2012-07-26T04:29:15Z

Shortstop Rafael Furcal gave St. Louis a walkoff victory with an RBI single to left field as Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in 12 innings on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium. St. Louis moves 52-46 with the win, while the Dodgers fall to 53-46 in the debut of new third baseman Hanley Ramirez.

Before Furcal's final blow, St. Louis had scored one in the second and one in the fifth. The Dodgers scored one in the second and one in the sixth. Mostly, the game was characterized by dominant starting pitching.

St. Louis' Kyle Lohse allowed seven hits and two earned runs over seven innings, while Dodgers starter Aaron Harang allowed two runs on two hits over 7.1 innings.

Fernando Salas pitched the final two innings for the Cards and earned the win, improving to 1-3.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit St. Louis Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos and Dodgers blog True Blue LA.

Cardinals Roster 2012: Brian Fuentes Joins Active Roster, Chuckie Fick Designated For Assignment

2012-07-25T20:18:47Z

The St. Louis Cardinals have purchased relief pitcher Brian Fuentes' contract from Triple-A Springfield and optioned Victor Marte to the minors to free up a roster spot, as the team announced on Wednesday. St. Louis also designated relief pitcher Chuckie Fick for assignment in order to free a spot on the 40-man roster.

Fuentes, who has spent the past year-plus in Oakland, appeared in two minor league games with Cardinals affiliates before the promotion. He pitched two shutout innings, one for the rookie league GCL Cardinals and one for Double-A Memphis.

Marte, 30, has made 43 appearances for the Cardinals this season, posting a 4.46 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 13 walks over 38.1 innings. Home runs have been a major issue for him, as he's allowed six already in his time this year. Fick, 26, pitched 1.2 innings for St. Louis this year, allowing one run on three hits.

Adam Wainwright's Terminal Decline... As A Hitter

2012-07-25T13:53:36Z

It's been clear for a while now that Adam Wainwright isn't the baseball player he used to be, and that's something St. Louis Cardinals fans are going to have to deal with. Ever since 2009 we've witnessed a painful decline reminiscent of Willie Mays with the Mets or Alex Rodriguez with the Anchorage Centaurs (it's even worse than you think it's going to be)—and it's been prolonged, unfortunately, because he keeps getting Cy Young attention every year. It's been rough for fans of Adam Wainwright the hitter, which is why I was happy to see his performance Tuesday.

Waino, in addition to outdueling Clayton Kershaw or something, went 1-1 with a double, a walk, and two RBI; now he has one double, one walk, and two RBI on the season. Back in his prime, between 2006 and 2008, Wainwright hit .289/.313/.406, with six doubles and three home runs; since focusing on the whole winning 20 games thing he's hit just .156.

Look: Adam Wainwright is still within a hitter's peak age range. He could turn things around, especially if he's willing to start playing some second base. But I'm beginning to think he's too focused on pitching, and not focused enough on humiliating the other starter with a home run.

Dodgers Vs. Cardinals Final Score: St. Louis Overcomes Clayton Kershaw In 8-2 Victory

2012-07-25T03:40:19Z

The St. Louis Cardinals rocked the National League's reigning Cy Young Award winner during an 8-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium. St. Louis tagged Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw for seven hits and eight earned runs over 5.2 innings, dropping the 24-year old lefty to 7-6 overall in the process. The Cards move to 51-46 on the season with the win, while Los Angeles falls to 53-45.

The Dodgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, but St. Louis would tie the game in the fifth before breaking it open with a six-run sixth inning. Allen Craig put an exclamation point on the Cards' big inning with a two RBI double to deep right center, which resulted in the game's final runs.

Adam Wainwright allowed seven hits and two earned runs over 7.1 innigns to move to 8-10 for the Cardinals in the win.

Dodgers Vs. Cardinals Lineups: Carlos Beltran Starts In CF

2012-07-24T21:19:42Z

The lineups for Tuesday's game between the Dodgers and Cardinals have been released and are listed below. Carlos Beltran is getting another start in center field for St. Louis, while Allen Craig starting in right field.

St. Louis:

1. Rafael Furcal (S) SS
2. Allen Craig (R) RF
3. Matt Holliday (R) LF
4. Carlos Beltran (S) CF
5. David Freese (R) 3B
6. Yadier Molina (R) C
7. Lance Berkman (S) 1B
8. Daniel Descalso (L) 2B
9. Adam Wainwright (R) P

Los Angeles:

1. Jerry Hairston (R) 3B
2. Mark Ellis (R) 2B
3. Matt Kemp (R) CF
4. Andre Ethier (L) RF
5. James Loney (L) 1B
6. Juan Rivera (R) LF
7. Luis Cruz (R) SS
8. Matt Treanor (R) C
9. Clayton Kershaw (L) P