by Megan Garcia
Kevin Kiermaier timed his biggest hit in a Dodger uniform perfectly.
His three-run home run in the sixth inning catapulted the Dodgers over the Cardinals, leading to a 7–6 win in St. Louis on Friday. The long ball — his first as a Dodger — also created much-needed distance atop the National League West.
The pressure is palpable for the Dodgers. They owned a nine-game lead in late June, but saw it shrunk to two-games on Thursday after consecutive losses. But with the Diamondbacks and Padres losing in their matchups, the Dodgers can breathe.
They lead the NL West by three games.
“I was expecting (the slider.) He’s either sinker or slider and I was trying to see the ball up,” Kiermaier said. “I got a good pitch to hit, and thankfully I hit it good enough to get it out and spark momentum from us.”
Kiermaier connected on a slider down in the strike zone from reliever Andrew Kittredge with two outs. It carried 415 feet to right-center field for his first homer since July 14 when he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.
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It capped off the five-run sixth inning that started with the Dodgers trailing 4–2.
In 10 games with the Dodgers, Kiermaier was hitting .200 with one extra-base hit. But in his 11th game, the 12-year veteran showed the offensive and defensive mastery that defined his career.
He went 2-for-4 against the Cardinals. It was his first multi-hit game for Los Angeles.
“It felt great. I want to contribute to this team. I’m starting to feel like myself again,” Kiermaier said. “I’m slowly getting locked in — slowly but surely — but I feel great. Any time I’m in the lineup, I’m just trying to create a spark or energy in any way that I can.”
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Glasnow Placed on Injured List
Tyler Glasnow was put on the 15-day injured list with right elbow tendinitis on Friday.
This marks Glasnow’s second stint on the injured list this season.
The 30-year-old last pitched for the Dodgers on Aug. 11 against the Pirates. He tossed seven innings, allowed two earned runs on five hits (one home run) and one walk with four strikeouts.
He has set a career-high in games started (22), innings pitched (134) and strikeouts (168) this season.
Justin Wrobleski was called up to replace Glasnow on the active roster. He earned his first career win after giving up four earned runs across five innings with four hits (three home runs), two walks and three strikeouts.
“It feels great,” Wrobleski said. “You love getting a win. A win is huge, but it’s more of a team stat then it is a reflection of how I pitched. The bullpen really picked me up.”
Before Friday, the left-hander made four starts for the Dodgers and recorded 15 strikeouts with a 4.05 ERA.
Reinforcements Are on the Way
Dave Roberts said Max Muncy and recently acquired infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman will be with the team during the series against the Mariners.
Muncy last appeared in a game for Los Angeles on May 15. He was placed on the 60-day injured list with a right oblique strain.
Edman will make his season debut after he was acquired at the trade deadline. The 29-year-old has been on the injured list all season after wrist surgery and a sprained ankle.
Ryan Brasier will also be activated from the injured list on Saturday. He last pitched for the Dodgers on April 21 in Toronto. The right-hander has been sidelined with a right calf strain.
Where They Stand
The Dodgers (72–51) continue the three-game series in St. Louis (60–62) on Saturday.
Kevin Kiermaier provides his biggest and timeliest hit in Dodgers win was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.