This team is rolling right now. Last night’s game, that played into this morning, was one of the best wins of the season. Daniel Poncedeleon is on the mound tonight against Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Cardinals can keep up in the ever expanding NL Wild Card race with a win tonight. It’s game time. Let’s go.

Lineups

Game Notes

• No Matt Carpenter in the lineup tonight. Jose Martinez leads off and plays first tonight for Mike Schildt.
• Poncedeleon strikes out the side in the first inning. Pederson. Turner. Machado. Strike out. Strike out. Strike out.
• Tyler O’Neill loses the ball in the lights of Dodger Stadium (seen that one before) and on the next batter can’t corral a diving catch. The bases are loaded for Yasiel Puig when Poncedeleon hits him. And when I mean hits him, I mean a butterfly flapping its wings hitting him, like that hard, like barely grazes his hands. Dodgers take a 1-0 lead through two.
• The Cardinals get to Ryu in the third, all with two outs. After a sacrifice bunt, Wong is able to score from second on a Jose Martinez RBI single. Then YADI barely gets one out but it counts! Cardinals take a 3-1 lead.
• With Yadi’s dinger, thats now 14 games in a row St. Louis has homered.
• Poncedeleon has struck six in three innings of work, but has thrown 68 pitches thus far.
• Ponce is in trouble in the fourth. Runners on second and third no out. But the dude gets out of it unscathed. Unreal. This guy has some fire in him.
• With two outs in the fifth, the Cardinals string some hits together and they load the bases. Jedd ropes one to left by but its not enough. The loaded bases are stranded :(.
• Danny P’s night is done as Luke Weaver takes over in the bottom of the fifth.
• Weaver walks the wire in the fifth and sixth, but gets the job done and holds the Dodgers scoreless through two innings of work.
• OZUNA! Marcell hits an absolute layer shot to left center and two runs score. His 16th homer of the year! Cardinals extend their lead to 5-1 in the seventh.
• Manny Machado just did his thing and cranked one. 5-2 through the seventh inning.
• Carlos Martinez is back and he is in this game in the seventh inning! He comes in with two outs and gets the third.
• Oh no. Carlos is back in the eighth but he takes a ball off his chest and gets the wind knocked out of him. Yikes. Martinez leaves the field on his own two feet but that was scary, hopefully, nothing serious.
• Bud Norris slams the door shut on this game with the help from Kolten Wong defensively.
• Cardinals have won eight series in row.
• Cardinals improve to 70-57.

Jack Flaherty on the mound tomorrow night as the Cardinals go for the sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers at 9:10 CST. Wow, this team is fun to watch!