ST. LOUIS -- The Mike Bolsinger joy ride started sputtering a bit, and the Los Angeles Dodgers gave a lackluster performance in the first game of one of their most anticipated series this year.
The Dodgers lost, 3-0, to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Friday night.
How it happened: Bolsinger did a good job pitching around trouble, getting through six strong innings despite seven hits and three walks, but the Dodgers couldn’t muster much action against veteran John Lackey. Bolsinger’s night could have been a lot shorter, but he was able to get out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam with just one run scoring in the first inning. A double-play grounder from Randal Grichuk helped. Lackey, meanwhile, was largely on cruise control through seven innings. He struck out nine Dodgers and gave up just five hits. The Dodgers got a runner to second base only twice off Lackey. St. Louis scored its second run on back-to-back doubles in the third and then tacked on against the Dodgers’ increasingly suspect middle-relief group in the seventh.
What it means: The Dodgers and Cardinals have had a spirited rivalry for several years -- in fact, decades now -- but it has tilted St. Louis’ way the past few years. That trend continued Friday night.
Notable: Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was ejected after arguing a called third strike on Andre Ethier in the seventh inning. The pitch looked to be at -- or below -- the knees. Ethier had a few words and then plate umpire Mike Winters tossed Mattingly from the dugout. The strikeout came at a bad time, with runners at first and second and nobody out. The Dodgers did not score. … The Dodgers have been losing a lot of challenges lately as they continue to use them aggressively. They had the umpires review a play after J.P. Howell had Kolten Wong picked off first base, but Wong slid around Jimmy Rollins’ tag at second base. The call stood. … Heavy rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast for Saturday evening’s game here. The Dodgers don’t return to St. Louis, so a postponement likely would force a Sunday doubleheader.
Up next: The series continues Saturday evening with a matchup of hard throwers at 4:15 p.m. PT. Carlos Frias (3-2, 5.34 ERA) goes for the Dodgers against Michael Wacha (7-0, 1.87).
