N.L. Wild-Card Game Live Updates: Cardinals and Dodgers Face Off

Brusdar Graterol was the Dodgers’ third pitcher of the evening, entering after Joe Kelly was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the fifth, and he induced very quick, very weak, groundouts from both Yadier Molina and Edmundo Sosa. Graterol’s first pitch to Harrison Bader hit him squarely in the left shoulder, sending him to first (the second time Bader had been hit in this game), and Cardinals Manager Mike Shildt made the call to keep his starting pitcher in the game by letting Adam Wainwright hit for himself. Wainwright grounded out on the first pitch he saw, but he’ll be back out to pitch a sixth inning. Considering the way he’s pitching, that seems like a fair deal.

Cody Bellinger, who used to be good, struck out on four pitches to start the half-inning. That brought up pinch-hitter Luke Raley (replacing relief pitcher Joe Kelly, whose night is done), and Raley also struck out on four pitches. Mookie Betts didn’t get the memo, as he was out after just two pitches, grounding out to third to end the inning. Adam Wainwright is through five innings and has continued his throwback season with a terrific performance. At 83 pitches, he could theoretically pitch another inning or two, but he’s due to hit fourth in the sixth, so the Cardinals will have a tough decision to make.

The Dodgers are into their bullpen way earlier than anyone expected. Way, way, way earlier. But thus far the decision has worked out for Manager Dave Roberts. Tommy Edman continued to be a thorn in Max Scherzer’s side by leading off the inning with a single, his second hit, that just barely found its way into center field. Paul Goldschmidt worked a six-pitch walk, which resulted in a meeting on the mound and got some activity going in the Dodgers’ bullpen. Scherzer struck out Tyler O’Neill on five pitches, absolutely blowing a 95-m.p.h. fastball past him for strike three. That, however, was it for Scherzer. Roberts came out to the mound and took the ball away from his team’s co-ace, pulling him after 94 pitches and four and a third innings. Joe Kelly replaced Scherzer, inheriting runners at first and second with one out. He got a quick force out at third on a grounder to Justin Turner. And despite a wild pitch sending Goldschmidt to third, Kelly got out of the jam by striking out Dylan Carlson. If the Dodgers’ bullpen falters in the next inning or two, the second-guessing of Roberts will be fierce. Dave Roberts stuck his hand out to accept the ball from Max Scherzer, like managers do when they’re changing pitchers. But Max was not giving him that ball. Hilarious. pic.twitter.com/v7L7JZekPE — Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) October 7, 2021

The Dodgers had been steadily making Adam Wainwright work hard for outs in the last few innings and Justin Turner was able to get the payoff for that, walloping a 2-2 curveball into the Dodgers’ bullpen in left field for a solo homer that made this a 1-1 game. There was no rally to follow. Wainwright was able to recover quickly from the homer by striking out catcher Will Smith on three pitches and punching out A.J. Pollock on five. That brought up Matt Beaty, who popped out to the catcher to end the inning. (At some point in this game Albert Pujols will pinch hit for Beaty or for the pitcher and that’s going to be a big moment … but not yet.)

A perfectly executed shift resulted in Yadier Molina grounding out on a ball that would have been a single if the shift haters were to get their way. Edmundo Sosa grounded out softly back to pitcher Max Scherzer for the second out. But Harrison Bader messed up Scherzer’s attempt at his first perfect inning of the day by fighting through an eight-pitch plate appearance that ended with Bader being hit by a pitch and heading to first base. Luckily for the Dodgers, that brought up Adam Wainwright, who may have a silver slugger in his trophy collection but is still a pitcher. He struck out on three pitches, swinging and missing at all three.

Adam Wainwright escaped a bases-loaded jam by inducing a double play from Trea Turner on a pitch that may have been ball four. Issues with his control, communication problems with his catcher and a brutal defensive mistake by his shortstop had Adam Wainwright in big trouble, but the veteran pitcher pulled a Houdinilike escape act by inducing an inning-ending double-play with no runs having scored. Wainwright had put himself in a hole quickly by walking the fairly dreadful Cody Bellinger on five pitches to start the half-inning. He then managed to fall behind the overmatched Max Scherzer, 3-1, before allowing the opposing pitcher to sacrifice bunt Bellinger over to second. A liner up the middle by Mookie Betts absolutely should have been caught by shortstop Edmundo Sosa, who got his glove on the ball but dropped it (a play that was somehow ruled a single). Then the next batter, Corey Seager, walked, loading the bases with one out. It looked like the Dodgers would surely be able to tie the game, but Wainwright induced a grounder from Trea Turner that resulted in a double-play and allowed the Cardinals to escape unscathed.

Top 3rd: A leadoff single gets the Cardinals nowhere. Paul Goldschmidt led off the inning with a single into right-center. After Tyler O’Neill struck out on three pitches (looking absolutely helpless on a two-strike slider), Nolan Arenado grounded into a fielder’s choice that erased Goldschmidt from the basepaths. That left the inning up to Dylan Carlson, who grounded out to first to end the half-inning. All in all, a solid effort for Max Scherzer.

Will Smith tried to single-handedly run up Adam Wainwright’s pitch count by putting together a nine-pitch at-bat. It may have ended with a groundout to second (and a nifty play by Tommy Edman), but it still made for a difficult start to the inning for Wainwright. A.J. Pollock went down far easier, popping out to shortstop on the third pitch he saw. That brought up Matt Beaty, who is in at first base in place of the injured Max Muncy. Beaty, a left-handed hitter, flied out to the warning track in right to end the inning.

Keep an eye on Max Scherzer’s pitch count going forward. It’s already at 43. The veteran starter looked more like himself when he started the second inning by throwing a 95-m.p.h. fastball past a flailing Edmundo Sosa for strike three and his first strikeout of the game. But he followed that with a six-pitch walk of Harrison Bader. He then ran up a full-count against Adam Wainwright, who was able to move Bader over to second with a two-strike sacrifice bunt. But that was it, as Tommy Edman flied out to left to end the half-inning. To put it mildly, St. Louis is making Scherzer work. The good news for Dodgers fans: Scherzer was allowed to throw 100 or more pitches 16 times this season across his time with Washington and Los Angeles.

Top 1st: Cardinals run their way to an early lead. Tommy Edman led off with a single and scored the game’s opening run. This was not exactly the start Max Scherzer wanted. He got ahead on leadoff batter Tommy Edman with a 1-2 count only to have Edman single to right. Then Edman stole second. Scherzer got squeezed on a potential strike three to Paul Goldschmidt by home plate umpire Joe West and then walked Goldschmidt one pitch later. Tyler O’Neill flied out to right, but Edman tagged up and went to third. With runners on first and third with one out, Scherzer threw a wild pitch that allowed the speedy Edman to score easily from third and Goldschmidt to advance to second. Scherzer recovered to retire Nolan Arenado on a fly ball to left, but an error by Corey Seager loaded the bases. Scherzer then got out of the jam when Yadier Molina flied out to center on the first pitch he saw. In all, a fairly frustrating 19-pitch inning, but relatively little damage. Cardinals get a lead after a wild pitch from Max Scherzer pic.twitter.com/qG6Ye8lrC0 — Justin Groc (@justgroc) October 7, 2021

‘Right now, we can’t be a fan of that other team.’ Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina used to win the World Series together. These days they have to pretend to not be friends. LOS ANGELES — Being that Hollywood is only a fly ball or two away from Dodger Stadium, it would be fitting if the longtime Cardinal Albert Pujols appeared in a big moment against his former team, especially with Adam Wainwright starting tonight’s wild-card game and Yadier Molina behind the plate for St. Louis. The three won the World Series together in St. Louis in 2006 and 2011 and remain close friends. So how cool would it be … “Nothing is cool about that team over there right now to us,” Wainwright said during Tuesday’s workout here. He added: “Albert is a great friend, but right now we are fighting. We’ll make up afterwards. But we’re fighting right now.” His words echoed what Pujols said last week anticipating this matchup. “I still have a lot of respect for that organization, and for a lot of the guys on that side, but whenever we cross that line, it’s about a job,” Pujols said. “It’s about helping your team win. After all is said and done, we’re still friends and the respect is still mutual.” Wainwright had one more interesting point. “I was watching ‘Last Chance U’ earlier and they were going over the game plan and the team they were going to face, and one of the players marveled at how fast the other quarterback was,” Wainwright said. “And the coach stopped him and said: ‘Don’t be a fan.’” “Right now, we can’t be a fan of that other team.”

Edmundo Sosa has game-changing speed. He is starting at shortstop on Wednesday over Paul DeJong. LOS ANGELES — One key challenge for Dodgers starting pitcher Max Scherzer and catcher Will Smith tonight: controlling St. Louis’s running game. The Cardinals ranked sixth in the majors with 89 stolen bases this season. In addition, three Cardinals are among M.L.B.’s top 50 in sprint speed (feet per second) according to Statcast: Edmundo Sosa (13th, 29.8), Tyler O’Neill (15th, 29.7) and Harrison Bader (20th, 29.5). Tommy Edman, the Cardinals’ lead-off hitter, is just outside the top 50 at No. 52. Cardinals Manager Mike Shildt is going with Sosa at shortstop over Paul DeJong and slotting him seventh in the lineup. O’Neill is batting third and playing left field, and Bader is batting eighth and playing center field. “It was a tough decision,” Shildt said of starting Sosa over DeJong. “I felt like a couple of variables went into it, but ultimately it felt like Sosa earned the opportunity.” Shildt said that Sosa “is a big reason why we’ve gotten to where we’re at.” “It’s a heady ballclub,” Los Angeles Manager Dave Roberts said. “They’re very opportunistic, very aggressive.” It makes sense to emphasize speed against the Dodgers as opposing teams love to run against Los Angeles. In all, the Dodgers allowed 108 stolen bases this season and caught 34 players stealing, with the 142 attempts leading the majors.

How Albert Pujols found happiness with the Dodgers. ‘Listen, it’s not rocket science. You’ve seen guys with this kind of role toward the end of their career. I know I’m not the player I once was. I think everybody knows that. But I think I can still contribute.’ LOS ANGELES — It was a packed house, a big moment and the baseball was rising toward the sky on a line straight toward October. Albert Pujols watched in a uniform he never expected to wear from a place he never imagined he would be. It was his teammate Corey Seager’s two-run blast that lit the roar that capped a Los Angeles evening last week. And there was Pujols, in the Dodgers’ dugout, leading the cheers. Once, in the days he was known as The Machine, Pujols commanded his own stretch-run spotlight. Those big moments now mostly belong to others, while Pujols focuses on what is usually one nightly plate appearance, strategically placed, against a left-handed reliever. The Dodgers signed Pujols in May, four days after his unceremonious release by the Los Angeles Angels and in the final season of a 10-year, $240 million contract. In his very specific role, he has flourished beyond expectations, scorching lefties for a .306 batting average and finishing the season with 12 homers and 38 R.B.I. for the Dodgers. His teammates rave about his joie de vivre. And now a man who once dominated Octobers for St. Louis is back in the postseason for the first time since 2014 — and his first test will come Wednesday against his beloved Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. His frustrating end with the Angels is fading from the narrative.

Beaty is in, Muncy is out and Pujols will come off the Dodgers’ bench. Matt Beaty had a .363 on-base percentage in 234 plate appearances for the Dodgers this season. He’ll start at first base in place of the injured Max Muncy. With Max Muncy out of the lineup after dislocating his left elbow in Sunday’s season finale against Milwaukee, the Dodgers decided to start lefty Matt Beaty at first base, use Cody Bellinger’s defensive skills in center field and leave Albert Pujols as a pinch-hitting weapon off the bench in Wednesday night’s wild-card game against St. Louis. “It starts with who’s on the mound,” Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said, referring to his own ace, Max Scherzer. Roberts noted that Scherzer is a “high-strikeout guy” and St. Louis’s lineup included a “high volume of right-handed bats.” So, Roberts said, defense in center field and at first base was important and that he anticipated most of the ground balls Cardinals hitters put in play would be to the left side of the infield, where veteran mainstays Corey Seager (shortstop) and Justin Turner (third base) will be waiting. Win or go home!



The previous 162 don't matter, it all comes down to this. pic.twitter.com/HBJJ81QiJp — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) October 6, 2021