Jordan Walker delivered the kind of night that reminds everyone why the Cardinals invested so heavily in him, going 4-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs as St. Louis rolled past the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-2, on Friday night at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals snapped a three-game home losing streak and improved to 19-13, winning their 5th straight game. More importantly, they showed the kind of offensive balance and timely power that has defined their recent surge, jumping on Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan early and never looking back.
Walker, now batting .308, set the tone. After Iván Herrera singled and advanced on a balk, Walker doubled to put runners in scoring position. Nolan Gorman then crushed a two-run homer to right field, staking the Cardinals to a quick 3-0 lead. It was the kind of explosive start the Redbirds have been searching for against quality arms.
Matthew Liberatore (1-1) responded with his strongest outing in weeks, working 5⅔ innings and allowing just two runs on five hits. He struck out four, walked two and kept the potent Dodgers lineup in check, inducing weak contact and limiting damage after the early deficit. The left-hander bounced back impressively from what had been his roughest start of the season, giving the Cardinals exactly what they needed from the rotation in the series opener.
St. Louis added to its advantage in the third when Alec Burleson launched a solo shot to right, making it 4-1. The Dodgers scratched across single runs in the second (on a Max Muncy double) and sixth (a sacrifice fly by Kyle Tucker), but the Cardinals’ bullpen — led by a scoreless 1⅓ innings from Gordon Graceffo and solid work from the rest of the relief corps — slammed the door the rest of the way.
The decisive blow came in the seventh. Walker ripped another double, scoring Herrera and pushing the lead to 6-2 after an error by Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández allowed Burleson to come around from first. A fielder’s choice later plated Walker for the final run, capping a three-run frame and sending the Busch Stadium crowd home happy.
Gorman and Burleson supplied the power, but it was Walker’s relentless contact — two doubles, two runs scored — and the supporting cast of Herrera and Masyn Winn (two hits apiece) that made the difference. The Cardinals pounded out 12 hits while committing no errors, a clean, complete performance against one of the league’s most talented rosters.
For the Dodgers (20-12), the loss dropped them to their third straight defeat. Sheehan (2-1) was charged with four runs on eight hits in 4⅔ innings despite striking out eight.
The Cardinals will look to push their winning streak to five when they send right-hander Michael McGreevy (1-2, 2.97 ERA) to the mound against Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki (1-2, 6.35 ERA) on Saturday night. For one night, at least, the Redbirds looked every bit the club capable of hanging with the best in the National League.
