LOS ANGELES (AP) – Russell Martin drove a two-run, two-out single up the middle for the Dodgers’ 10th walk-off win of the season, and Los Angeles swept the St. Louis Cardinals with a 2-1 victory Wednesday.
Martin improbably delivered after a frustrating offensive day for the Dodgers, who have won five straight. Los Angeles couldn’t score during seven brilliant innings of four-hit ball by Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty in his hometown ballpark, but the Dodgers still came through against St. Louis’ bullpen.
Andrew Miller hit Corey Seager with a pitch with one out in the ninth, and Carlos Martinez (2-2) gave up pinch-hitter Will Smith’s single. After Martinez threw a wild pitch to move up both runners, Martin bounced a two-strike single through the middle, and Smith slid home with the winning run.
The Dodgers’ veteran catcher got the ninth walk-off hit of his own career. Batting eighth, he improved his average to .219 and helped Los Angeles post its major league-high 77th win of the season.
Casey Sadler (2-0) pitched the ninth for Los Angeles, which avoided its first shutout loss since May 18 in dramatic fashion.
Dustin May threw 5 2/3 innings of five-hit ball in a strong second career start for the Dodgers, who called up the redheaded power pitcher last week. May had seven strikeouts and held his own with Flaherty, but remained winless in the big leagues.
Marcell Ozuna homered in the sixth inning for the Cardinals, who went 0-5 on their California road trip after scoring just two runs in three games at Dodger Stadium.
St. Louis’ bullpen couldn’t come through for Flaherty, who struck out 10 with just one walk. He dominated for the second time as a pro at Dodger Stadium, where Flaherty attended his first game on his mother’s lap when he was less than a year old.
The right-hander was born and raised in Burbank, California, just a few miles away on the other side of historic Griffith Park. Flaherty even led Harvard-Westlake School to a state championship at Dodger Stadium six years ago by throwing a shutout and driving in the only run in a 1-0 win in the title game.
In his Chavez Ravine debut as a pro last year, Flaherty threw six innings of scoreless one-hit ball for the Cards.
Both starters traded zeros to open an unusually early-starting weekday game, with neither pitcher allowing a runner to reach third base in the first five innings.
After a seven-pitch at-bat, Ozuna delivered his first homer since June 22. The veteran slugger had been in a 1-for-14 slump since returning from a 28-game absence with broken fingers.
