Kenley Jansen blows save and Dodgers fall to Cardinals in 16 innings

The result counted as relief, if only for its finality. In the 16th inning Friday, made necessary by Kenley Jansen’s blown save, Dodgers pitcher Bud Norris gave up a walk-off home run to Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams to complete a 4-3 loss.

So much had gone wrong to bring Norris, who was scheduled to start against Tampa Bay on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, into this game. Jansen squandered a lead in the ninth. The Dodgers used seven other relievers before Norris entered the game. The 16th was his second inning of work.

Norris will be able to make his start Tuesday. But the Dodgers (54-44) will not get back the chances they squandered Friday. The team left 13 men on base and went one for 13 with runners in scoring position.

“I think it’s just guys trying to do too much, and getting out of their approaches,” Manager Dave Roberts said.

Thus the Dodgers missed a chance to pick up ground on the reeling Giants, who have lost six in a row to start the second half.

Justin Turner lifted his team up with a go-ahead solo shot in the top of the ninth off Cardinals reliever Seung-Hwan Oh. The euphoria lived a short life. Jansen blew his fifth save of the season when he surrendered a two-out homer to Jedd Gyorko in the bottom of the inning.

Jansen intended to throw a cutter down and away. The pitch faded back inside, and Gyorko did not miss. It was the second save Jansen has blown on this trip.

“Just kind of misfired,” Jansen said. “He got lucky and it went out.”

Brandon McCarthy pitched into the seventh inning for the first time since Tommy John surgery and held the Cardinals to one hit. He exited with one out in the seventh due to a leg cramp. St. Louis squeezed two runs out of McCarthy in the third.

For the Dodgers, no injury looms larger than the loss of Clayton Kershaw. Roberts had no update to offer on Kershaw’s condition before Friday’s game. But he did provide an extended, impassioned paean to his ballclub, which declined to wilt after Kershaw injured his back.

Roberts never felt the need to address the club after Kershaw went down. “I would be disrespecting our guys to have to hold a meeting to talk about how important it is for them to step up,” Roberts said. “Because I expect that of them. They expect that of each other.”

Deep into the season, with the dog days of August approaching, Roberts felt proud of the group’s sublimation of ego. He ticked off examples: Howie Kendrick agreed to play left field. Chase Utley did not whine when Roberts removed him for pinch-hitters. Scott Kazmir accepted an extra day of rest when it interrupted his schedule. Jansen volunteered to make multi-inning saves, even though he is approaching free agency.

“The wins and the losses, I really can’t predict that or control it,” Roberts said. “But I think the effort, the buy-in has been consistent.”

Corey Seager had missed the entire series in Washington due to a stomach virus. He returned on Friday and recorded four hits. The first was an RBI single to hand McCarthy a lead.

The advantage lasted until the third inning.Gyorko became the first Cardinal to reach base against McCarthy when he accepted a leadoff walk. A two-out walk to Tommy Pham set up All-Star shortstop Alemdys Diaz.

McCarthy left a first-pitch slider over the middle. Diaz whacked it into center field. One run scored on the hit. Pham planned to hold at third, but when Joc Pederson couldn’t field the ball cleanly,he raced home on the error.

With the Dodgers down a run, Kendrick led off the sixth. Michael Wacha missed with a pair of fastballs, forcing him to fling the next pitcher over the plate. Kendrick made the 2-0 cutter disappear over the fence in right. His fifth home run of the season tied the score.

It would remain that way after the teams traded homers in the ninth, and then until the 16th. Then Adams delivered relief, even in a defeat.

“For Bud, obviously, that’s a tough spot to be in,” McCarthy said. “He did a great job. That’s just one pitch, when you’re on the razor’s edge the whole time.”

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes