The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-5 Friday to tighten the race for the National League Wild Card.
With the win, the Dodgers pulled within one game of the Cardinals who currently hold the second NL Wild Card spot. The Dodgers entered the game riding a four-game losing streak, but scored five runs off the Cardinals bullpen to secure the win.
The Cardinals took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning with Yadier Molina and Matt Carpenter each hitting solo home runs. Los Angeles got one back in the bottom of the inning, but a two-run Matt Holliday home run in the third put the Cardinals up 4-1. However, once again, the Dodgers came back, scoring twice in the bottom of the inning.
St. Louis led 4-3 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Cardinals bullpen could not hold the lead. Trevor Rosenthal was charged with two earned runs while Edward Mujica gave up another. Los Angeles scored another two runs in the seventh inning to pull away. The Cardinals got one back in the top of the ninth inning, but it wasn't enough.
The Cardinals' bullpen allowed five earned runs over three innings, while the Dodgers' bullpen gave up just one run over 4-2/3 innings. The teams will continue their series Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 9:10 p.m. ET.
For more coverage of the Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, and for Dodgers news and updates, check out True Blue LA. For all your St. Louis sports news, stay updated at SB Nation St. Louis. Head over to Baseball Nation for more on the Major Leagues.