Cardinals say hitters, not spies, deserve credit in win over Kershaw

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Dodgers center fielder Yasiel Puig reacts after striking out with the tying run at third base to end the game against the Cardinals on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers center fielder Yasiel Puig takes off his batting gloves during a solitary moment following the Game 1 loss to the Cardinals on Friday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers left fielder Andre Ethier celebrates after doubling with one out in the ninth inning against the Cardinals. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Teammates engulf first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in the dugout after his two-run home run in the eighth inning of Game 1 against the Cardinals. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis can only watch as Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday (7) is congratulated by teammate Matt Carpenter after hitting a three-run home run to cap an eight-run seventh inning against the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLDS on Friday evening. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw sits on the bench near hitting coach Mark McGwire after getting knocked out of the game by the Cardinals during an eight-run seventh inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw leaves the mound after Manager Don Mattingly came to replace him in the seventh inning of Game 1. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis watches the relay throw get cut off as Cardinals teammates Jon Jay and Matt Adams celebrate Matt Carpenter’s three-run double in the seventh inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter watches his three-run double head toward right-center field in the seventh inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter follows through on his bases-clearing double in the seventh inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw waits on the mound after giving up a three-run double to Matt Carpenter in an eight-run seventh inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis connects for a two-run home run against the Cardinals in the fifth inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis (17) is congratulated by teammates Clayton Kershaw (22) and Carl Crawford after hitting a two-run home run against the Cardinals in the fifth inning Friday evening. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright gathers himself after giving up a walk to the Dodgers in the fourth inning Friday evening at Dodger Stadium in Game 1 of the NLDS.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers left fielder Carl Crawford leaves the batter’s box after connecting for a run-scoring double in the fourth inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers center fielder Yasiel Puig slides safely into home plate to tie the score, 1-1, in the third inning as Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina fields the late throw. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez reacts after hitting a ground-rule double that scored left fielder Carl Crawford with the tying run in the third inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers center fielder Yasiel Puig is hit by a pitch from Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright in the third inning.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has some words for Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina shortly after teammate Yasiel Puig was hit by a pitch in the third inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Home plate umpire Jerry Meals tries to separate Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez shortly after Yasiel Puig (not pictured) was hit by a pitch during the third inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez are separated during an argument shortly after Yasiel Puig was hit by a pitch in the third inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers and Cardinals players join the argument at home plate in the third inning after Yasiel Puig was hit by a pitch. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw delivers a pitch against the Cardinals in the first inning Friday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers left fielder Carl Crawford watches fans scramble for a home run hit by Cardinals right fielder Randal Grichuk in the first inning Friday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez is congratulated by teammates after scoring the go-ahead run on a double by Matt Kemp in the third inning. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright throws against the Dodgers during the first inning of Game 1 of the National League division series.

(Alex Gallardo / Associated Press)

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St. Louis Cardinals’ Randal Grichuk takes off for first base after hitting a solo home run off Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw during the first inning of Game 1. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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St. Louis Cardinals’ Randal Grichuk is greeted at the plate by teammate Matt Holliday, center, as Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis, right, watches, after Grichuk hit a home run in the first inning of Game 1. (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press)

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Fans cheer before Game 1 of the National League division series between the Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals. (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press)

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Wynonna sings the national anthem before the game Friday. (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press)

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The Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals line up on the baselines before Game 1 of their division series. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday walks into the dugout during batting practice before Game 1. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

By Kevin Baxter

Staff Writer

Oct. 4, 2014 8 AM PT

For the first six innings of Friday’s opening game of the National League division series, Clayton Kershaw never pitched from the stretch. And he dominated the St. Louis Cardinals, striking out eight batters and giving up just two hits, both solo home runs.

Then Matt Holliday opened the seventh with a single and everything changed. After Kershaw ditched his windup, the Cardinals pounded him for six hits in the span of eight batters, the final one a three-run double by Matt Carpenter that turned what was left of a once-comfortable Dodgers lead into a one-run deficit in a game the Cardinals went on to win, 10-9.

So what changed? Some suspected the Cardinals may have been stealing signs when they got runners on base. Or perhaps Kershaw was tipping his pitches from the stretch.

The Cardinals angrily denied both those theories.

“C’mon!” Holliday said. “I’ve been playing 11 years and I’m stealing signs?”

Molina said talk of sign-stealing and tipped pitches stole credit from the people who deserved it: the Cardinals hitters.

“We had a bunch of good at-bats against him,” said Molina, who singled and scored against Kershaw during the eight-run rally. “He started leaving the ball in the middle, up. And we [had] some good at-bats. We put the ball in play.”

Holliday agreed it came down to the Cardinals’ talent and not acts of skulduggery.

“He apparently doesn’t do it too often. The guy can get hit a little bit,” Holliday said of Kershaw, who led the majors with 21 wins and a 1.77 ERA during the regular season. “I mean he has to throw it over the plate. He’s a great pitcher. We put some good at-bats together.”

Cardinals say hitters, not spies, deserve credit in win over Kershaw

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