What had already been a frustrating trip through California for the Cardinals did not get any better on Tuesday night.
Clayton Kershaw limited them to one run over seven innings in a win for the Dodgers that dropped the Cardinals to 0-4 on the trip with two losses each in Oakland and Los Angeles.
The Cardinals best scoring chance came after Kershaw left the game. They loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth but Paul DeJong struck out to end the threat.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals wasted a leadoff double by Dexter Fowler in the first inning but scored in the second when DeJong led off with a double and scored on a single by Matt Carpenter, dropped to sixth in the order … Fowler singled to lead off the third before Kershaw retired 13 batters in a row. Carpenter broke that string with a one-out walk in the seventh … Singles by Kolten Wong and Jose Martinez and a walk to Marcell Ozuna loaded the bases in the eighth but DeJong was not able to come through with the big hit … The Cardinals were 1-of-8 with runners in scoring position.
On the mound: Miles Mikolas allowed two runs on six hits as he pitched into the seventh inning, giving the Cardinals’ bullpen some much needed rest. He gave up a run in the second and one in the third before retiring 12 of the last 14 hitters he faced. Mikolas walked one and struck out seven but still saw his road record fall to 2-7. The two runs were the fewest he had allowed in his last eight starts on the road dating back to May 1 … The Dodgers added an insurance run in the seventh when Andrew Miller walked the first hitter he faced before giving up a two-out RBI single.
Key stat: During the four-game losing streak the Cardinals have not led at the end of a complete inning and did not score more than one run in an inning, a stretch of 36 innings. They scored a combined total of six runs in the four games.
Worth noting: The Cardinals designated Adalberto Mejia for assignment on Tuesday, perhaps ending his stay with the team after just two appearances. He had been claimed on waivers last week from the Angels … To replace Mejia in the bullpen the Cardinals called up right-hander Junior Fernandez from Memphis … The team also announced that Mike Mayers had cleared waivers and was outrighted to Memphis … Yadier Molina is expected to move his rehab assignment to Springfield beginning on Thursday night.
Looking ahead: Jack Flaherty will try to salvage the final game of the trip for the Cardinals on Wednesday. The game, set to begin at 2:10 p.m. St. Louis time, is one of two Cardinals games that will be carried only on YouTube TV.
