Medien Diskussion » tribute that will continue for four more games. The Hom

LOS ANGELES -- The St. Louis Cardinals didnt exactly sting the ball against Clayton Kershaw. They just went to the plate with the purpose of putting it in play. The plan worked. Matt Carpenter drove in the go-ahead run with an infield single and Pete Kozma hit a three-run double, leading the Cardinals to a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday in the rubber game of their series. "Kershaws a great pitcher. But hes going to come out and throw strikes, so you need to be ready to swing the bats," Kozma said. "We needed every run we got." "When you face someone like Kershaw, hes not going to give you anything. You have to scratch and claw for everything you get and thats what we did," manager Mike Matheny said. "The timely hits -- some of them werent all that pretty. But these guys came in here today talking about fighting, and thats exactly what they did." Kozma led off the seventh with a bloop double off the glove of shortstop Dee Gordon as he dived for the ball in short centre field. One out later, Carpenter grounded a single off the glove of first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, allowing Kozma to score. Pinch-hitter Matt Adams added an RBI single in the ninth. "They found some holes today and got a lot of hits that fell in there. But thats the mark of a good team," Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said. "Thats a good professional hitting team over there that battles and grinds." Seth Maness (4-1) got credit for the victory in relief of starter Shelby Miller despite retiring only two of the six batters he faced. Kershaw had a chance to help himself with the bat in the sixth, but grounded into an inning-ending double play against Maness. Edward Mujica pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 14th save in 14 attempts, as the Cardinals improved the major leagues best record to 32-17 and increased their NL Central lead over Cincinnati to 1 1/2 games. Kershaw (5-3) gave up four runs, seven hits and three walks in seven innings and struck out five as his ERA rose from a major league-best 1.35 to 1.68. The 2010 Cy Young Award winner had allowed only three earned runs in 39 2-3 innings over his previous five starts, including two no-decisions. Kershaw had not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his previous 22 starts since giving up eight over 5 2-3 innings against the Cardinals on July 24, 2012, at St. Louis. That was the longest such streak by a Dodger since Orel Hershisers 27-game stretch between July 12, 1985 and May 25, 1986. "This start is better than going five innings and giving up three," Kershaw said. "Going deeper into the game is obviously important, especially for our bullpen. Youre not going to be able to just go out there and throw up zeros or one run every time. Youve got to battle sometimes." Slumping centre fielder Matt Kemp was not in the Dodgers starting lineup, a day after he was removed by manager Don Mattingly in a double-switch with the team ahead by a run in the seventh inning of a 5-3 win. The two-time All-Star pinch hit for reliever Ronald Belisario in the eighth with a man on and grounded into an inning-ending double play. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning after Trevor Rosenthal followed Maness out of the bullpen and hit his first batter, Andre Ethier. But Rosenthal escaped the jam by striking out Ellis and Skip Schumaker, who started in centre field in Kemps place. "It was a big situation to come into, so I just tried to execute, make some quality pitches and get ahead," Rosenthal said. "I was trying to throw something hard down in the zone to try and get a groundball for a double play there with Ellis. Luckily it turned out well." Miller allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings and struck out three in his first career start against the Dodgers, after beginning the day with the fourth-best ERA in the NL at 1.74. The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the first when Gonzalez drove a 1-1 pitch into the right field pavilion for his team-high sixth home run, after a leadoff walk to Carl Crawford. But the Cardinals countered with three runs in the third. Yadier Molina drew a leadoff walk, David Freese hit a broken-bat bloop double down the left field line on the next pitch, and .229-hitting Daniel Descalso walked on four pitches. Kozma then line a fastball just inside third base and past a diving Juan Uribe for the bases-clearing double. "He went up there looking for a fastball and he hit it. So you have to give him credit there -- especially after a four-pitch walk," Kershaw said. "That second inning was frustrating, giving up the walks, and that bloop hit was frustrating. You cant do much about the hits, but you cant walk guys. So that was definitely my fault there." Los Angeles tied it in the fifth on an RBI single by Gonzalez that scored Kershaw, who started the rally with a one-out single. NOTES: Ellis has struck out seven times in nine at-bats since his collision at home plate with Cardinals baserunner Jon Jay in Friday nights series opener. In Ellis previous 19 at-bats, he went down on strikes only once. "I was running the bases with my kids just now. I needed to be on base at least once today," Ellis said. ... Kemp is homerless in 101 at-bats at Dodger Stadium since his two-run shot off Colorados Jorge De La Rosa last Sept. 20. ... Cardinals LHP John Gast, who left Saturdays game with tightness in his shoulder after facing just six batters, was placed on the 15-day disabled list -- making him the fourth Cardinals starter currently on the DL along with Chris Carpenter, Jake Westbrook and Jaime Garcia. ... RHP Michael Blazek, another rookie, was promoted to the majors for the first time from Triple-A Springfield. Blazek will be the seventh rookie pitcher used this season by Matheny. ... St. Louis RF Carlos Beltran, 4 for 19 with seven strikeouts against Kershaw, got the day off. cheap jerseys free shipping . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. wholesale nfl jerseys . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. http://www.nfljerseyschinashop.com/ . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. authentic cheap jerseys . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. cheap nba jerseys . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. OKLAHOMA CITY -- Even without another scoring outburst from Russell Westbrook, the Oklahoma City Thunder easily handled Miami.Westbrook had just 14 points -- 19 below his season average entering the game -- but the Thunder still beat the Heat 97-85 on Monday night.Enes Kanter had 24 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 10 of 12 in 21 minutes off the bench. Victor OIadipo scored 17 and rookie Domantas Sabonis had a season-high 15 points to go with 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City.Westbrook finished with 11 assists, and his control of the action helped the Thunder build a 22-point lead after three quarters. He didnt play in the fourth.Hes always looking for his teammates, Kanter said. Hes looking to score, but he knows that hes going to get double-teamed, triple-teamed. They cannot guard him. Theres no one guy in the league that can guard him 1-on-1. Hes making himself better, and hes making everybody else better on the team.Oklahoma City improved to 6-1, the best seven-game start for the franchise since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008.Miamis Hassan Whiteside, who entered averaging 20 points and 14.2 rebounds, finished with five points on 1-for-9 shooting and 12 rebounds.Westbrook said Thunder center Steven Adams played well against Whiteside.Steven did a good job of buckling down, using his size, using his ability to be able to use his body and his strength to match, Westbrook said.James Johnson led the Heat with 18 points. Miami shot just 36.9 percent from the field.You have to give them credit defensively, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Theyve shown this year theyre long, theyre athletic, they make multiple efforts.The Thunder led 55-47 at halftime, despite Westbrooks 2-for-10 shooting.The Heat chopped their deficit down to four before Westbrook went off. He converted a three-point play, a mid-range jumper and a 3-pointer to spark a 20-0 run that put the game out of reach.Hes a great player, so hes going to have his fingerprints on the game one way or another, Spoelstra said. Its a matter of time, and you have to find a way as competitors to overcome all of that, and we didnt.---TIP-IINSHeat: Former Thunder player Dion Waiters was cheered loudly during pregame introductions.dddddddddddd He scored two points on 1-for-9 shooting. ... Whiteside had no points or rebounds in the first quarter. ... Double technicals were called on Kanter and Miamis Josh Richardson in the third quarter after an altercation. Heat C Willie Reed was called for a flagrant foul on Kanter late in the third quarter.Thunder: Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said before the game that reserve point guard Cameron Payne is healing from his broken right foot, but there remains no timetable for his return. ... Adams banged his right thumb in the first quarter, but returned to play with it wrapped.HEAT UNIFORMSThe Heat wore patches bearing the names of deceased military members on the front of their uniforms for the first time, a tribute that will continue for four more games. The Home Strong uniforms -- which have been worn before, without the soldier-name patches -- feature military insignia and patriotic symbols. Heat President Pat Riley founded the program to honor returning soldiers in 2006, and the franchise has been active with several veterans programs since. Its just a very small part that we can play in this, to let them know that their lives did have significance, Spoelstra said.QUOTABLEWestbrook on Sabonis performance: I was very, very happy for Domas. He stayed aggressive all night long. He missed some shots early, but he stayed consistent.STAT LINESThe Thunder held Miami to 7-for-24 shooting in the third quarter to take an 83-61 lead at the end of the period.UP NEXTHeat: Miami hosts former teammate Dwyane Wade and the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. Wade won three NBA titles with Miami. That will be a special moment, Spoelstra said. It means a lot to all of us, including myself. We know how to compartmentalize.Thunder: Faces one of the best teams in the East on Wednesday night when they host the Toronto Raptors.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAP ' ' '