by Rowan Kavner
A day after 41-year-old Albert Pujols homered in his first at-bat back at Busch Stadium since 2019, another veteran stole the show in St. Louis.
The Dodgers had no answer Wednesday for 40-year-old Adam Wainwright, who came two outs shy of throwing his Major League-leading fourth complete game of the year in a 5–4 Dodger loss.
“I just thought Wainwright had our number tonight,” said manager Dave Roberts.
The Dodgers struck in the first and the ninth inning. What occurred in between was mostly futile.
Wainwright, who hadn’t allowed more than four hits in any of his previous three games, surrendered hits to three of the first four batters of the night. The Dodgers turned those two singles and a double into one run, with Mookie Betts getting thrown out at the plate on a relay.
The Dodgers would regret not adding on when they could.
The first inning gave more problems to Dodger pitcher Mitch White, who allowed three runs in the opening frame for the second straight start before once again settling in. He surrendered a career-high four earned runs in five innings, with half the damage coming on a two-out, two-run home run in the first inning from Yadier Molina, another veteran making his mark on the series.
White said he felt a little out of rhythm in the first inning.
“Probably should stop hanging so many sliders, would be a good start,” White said. “There were some positives in there. I need to be better about getting going from the start.”
An early 4–1 deficit seemed nearly conclusive, given Wainwright’s groove. At one point, the Cardinals right-hander retired 22 of 23 Dodger batters.
When Trea Turner led off the ninth inning with a single, it was the Dodgers’ only hit after the first inning other than a Max Muncy solo homer in the sixth.
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“He’s very elite at changing speeds, that’s what’s made him so good,” Muncy said. “He kept us off balance the entire night.”
Groundout after groundout kept Wainwright’s pitch count down. The Dodgers got him in four three-ball counts, but they didn’t record a walk for the sixth time this season.
Turner’s ninth-inning single gave him a Dodger-best 15-game hitting streak. It also started a rally.
Corey Seager’s second run-scoring hit of the game put the tying run on base and ended Wainwright’s night with one out in the ninth inning. But Giovanny Gallegos finished off Wainwright’s win from there, getting a sacrifice fly from Will Smith and a strikeout from Chris Taylor.
All seven of the Dodgers’ hits came from their top four hitters in the lineup.
“Pitchers come out and give us their best,” Muncy said. “We really haven’t been giving our best back at them. It’s just one of those things where we have the talent, and we’re just not putting it together.”
The Dodgers are now batting .209 over their last 22 games, despite a pitching staff that has carried them to a 16–6 record in that time. Neither Muncy nor Roberts had an answer for the offensive inconsistencies.
With the Giants winning, the Dodgers fell two games back in the division race.
“I know the preparation, the urgency every night from beginning of the season hasn’t changed,” Roberts said. “I just don’t have an answer, but clearly the last 30 days we just haven’t been ourselves. The pitching and defense has really allowed us to win a lot of ballgames. There’s going to come a time where the offense has to pick up some slack, too.”
Gonsolin, Kershaw near return
Tony Gonsolin is expected to be activated Thursday and pitch the bulk of the game, while Clayton Kershaw could return to the rotation Monday against Arizona.
“We’ve done a great job of preventing runs, but when you get Tony and Clayton back, guys that were projected to be big parts of our pitching staff this year, it’s going to be a huge lift,” Roberts said.
Neither Gonsolin (shoulder inflammation) nor Kershaw (sore elbow) have pitched since July. Gonsolin’s last Major League outing was July 30, while Kershaw’s was July 3.
Kershaw allowed two runs on four hits and struck out three batters in three innings Tuesday in a rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City. Roberts said while Kershaw’s command wasn’t where he wanted it to be, he got built up to 49 pitches and came out of it feeling good. The Dodgers expect Kershaw to be able to go four innings or 60 pitches his next time out.
“It’s ample time to get him right,” Roberts said. “We’ve just got to be smart. The main thing is to keep him healthy through October.”
If Kershaw is able to return early next week, he should be able to get at least four starts in before the end of the season.
“Realizing the team that we have and the opportunity that we have, from being around a little bit, you understand you don’t really get this opportunity very much,” Kershaw told reporters Wednesday. “I just want to be a part of it. I want to be a part of it however I can be and hopefully contribute. So, this is a good first step Monday to get going. We’ve got a good chance at something, so that’s exciting.”
Dodgers can’t finish late rally, but rotation will soon get a lift was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.