Allen Craig stepped in at right field for Lance Berkman Saturday night, and the St. Louis Cardinals' offense didn't skip a beat—Craig homered to chase Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw and Albert Pujols picked up two more hits as the Cardinals topped the Dodgers by a score of 9-2. Kyle McClellan picked up the win, going seven innings without a walk and allowing just one earned run.
Kershaw, squeezed all night by a tight strike zone from umpire Joe West, walked five, struck out five, and allowed five runs in nearly-five innings, taking the loss before being removed from the game in favor of former Cardinal Mike MacDougal. The Cardinals brought a righty-stacked lineup to face Kershaw, and the two pieces they changed paid off in a big way on Saturday; Craig was 3-4 with a home run in place of Berkman, who struggles as a right-handed hitter, while little-used utility infielder Tyler Greene was 1-3 with two stolen bases as Skip Schumaker's replacement at second base.
Chris Carpenter will start the last game of the Cardinals' successful road trip, taking the mound against Chad Billingsley at 3:10 PM CDT. After an incredibly rough start against the Arizona Diamondbacks his record stands at 0-2, with an ERA of 5.82.